When it’s all said and done, Kanye West will be remembered as one of the greatest artists, entrepreneurs and creatives of all time, but right now, his image is stained with controversies. Controversy is nothing new for West who famously declared that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” and later interrupted Taylor Swift at the Video Music Awards, but never before have Kanye’s quests been journeyed at such scale.
Currently, Mr. West is running for President in the 2020 election, leading a crusade against record labels and attempting to bring people to Christ through his music and Sunday Service performances.
In principle, there’s nothing wrong with those objectives, but it’s the impermeable air of insincerity that reveals how poorly managed these quests are.
For instance, while he’s been talking about running for president since 2015, his campaign reeks of being put together at the last minute. He announced his candidacy late in the presidential campaigning cycle on July 4th, and due to missing various deadlines in states, it looks as though he’ll only appear on the ballot in 12 states.
Normally, 3rd party candidates have a difficult time winning elections even when they appear on the ballot in all 50 states, so what is he going to do on just 12 besides stroke his ego?
This application of vanity to extremely sensitive issues doesn’t just end with his music or politics. It branches into religion as well, because in recent years, Kanye has branded himself as a born again Christian, much to the chagrin of many in the church.
While I wasn’t a fan of Jesus is King, his branch into gospel music isn’t as far-fetched as it may have appeared. From The College Dropout to The Life of Pablo, West’s music has often featured religious themes and iconography. The problem is that the artist often inserts himself into the imagery like when Kim Kardashian recorded him walking on water the other week or tries to hold service with merchandise taking the place of genuine worship.
None of this is surprising given that the person in question once declared himself a god, but it’s impossible to inspire real, positive change on such phony principles.
Perhaps his latest venture, the quest to free musicians from their musical contracts will prove to be more fruitful and genuine. He’s stated that he wants to free all artists, uniting them against them against the corporate companies that hold their masters will be filled with more sincerity, but it’s sometimes impossible to take him seriously.
The problem with West’s ventures isn’t that their end-goals are bad or misinformed but it’s the overwhelming obsession of ego over service in a lot of his work. I truly hope that he continues to see success because he’s an awe-inspiring figure, but I wish his methods obtained the same sharp, surgical precision of his lyrics and musicality.
The world would be better off if he did.
Adonis Fryer is a sophomore studying communications at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Adonis by emailing him at af414219@ohio.edu.
