The Runner Debate: Kanye West

Kanye West is misunderstood: Waste your energy on someone else.

Tristan Johnston, Staff Writer

Kanye West has become the undeserved punching bag of popular music. He has never hurt anyone, and merely interrupted a handful of “awards shows” that would be long forgotten if it weren’t for his interference. However, it would be difficult to argue against assertions that West has a difficult time expressing himself in interviews.

Musicians are not educated in PR, their sole occupation is to create art. In this regard, it’s sometimes easier to understand rappers though their lyrics. Eminem, Jay-Z, and Kanye West often refer to themselves in their music, in the sense that it can be autobiographical.

In the full length film/music video by West in 2010, Runaway, it becomes clear what West’s views are regarding his portrayal in the media.

In Runaway, Griffin, played by West, witnesses a half-human phoenix–played by model Selita Ebanks–fall from the sky in the form of a meteor. Early on in the film, he tells the phoenix, “First rule in this world, baby: don’t pay attention to anything you see in the news.” It could be argued that the phoenix represents West’s creativity.

He’s completely and utterly aware of how people perceive him. It would be extremely surprising if he indeed did see himself as a modern day Da Vinci. If he had said that in the context of a rap song, no one would take any notice, it would be merely a metaphor. Jay-Z, Eminem, and plenty of other rappers have referred to themselves as elevated figures numerous times in their music. In fact, both Eminem and Kanye West have referred to themselves as “gods” in their music, Eminem in “Rap God” and West in “I Am A God.” However, Eminem has received almost no accusations of being arrogant.

Though West may occasionally refer to himself as a genius, there are actually plenty of people who consider him to be one. He actually started producing music back in 2002 for the likes of Jay-Z. Many musicians and hip-hop listeners find that his ability to find a good sample to stick onto a beat is only paralleled by the late J Dilla. College Dropout is believed to be one of the best rap albums of the last 15 years.

While “Bound 2” got utterly spammed with dislikes on Youtube, West is perfectly capable of making fun of himself. Did you know he invited Seth Rogen and James Franco to perform their parody at his wedding? Even if the song wasn’t well-received, West is willing to experiment and leave his comfort zone. Evidence of this would be “808’s and Heartbreak,” which was a complete departure from the rest of his music. To discuss the way he dresses himself, especially compared to other rappers, would make this article much too long.

In a 2007 interview, back when he had only released three full albums, West was aware of his reputation as an arrogant rapper:

“Somebody’s supposed to come in and be like, ‘Awww man that is just the best shit I’ve heard in my life!’ and I’m supposed to say, ‘Aw do you think so? For real?’ That’s ignorant. That’s playin’–Actually that’s disrespectful to the person who said it. That’s me acting stupid, like I didn’t know it was good.”

“When someone comes up to you and says ‘You got a good outfit.’ My grandfather told me to say, ‘You got good taste!’”

When West talks about fashion and design, some think he’s pretentiously name-dropping, but if you paid a little bit of attention, he simply cares a lot about something and wants you to open up your mind. In some interviews where his public behaviour is confronted–namely his famous Jimmy Kimmel interview–he said that when he compares himself to the likes of Da Vinci, Steve Jobs and Jesus, he means that he’s inspired by these figures.

“I’m saying that these are my heroes. These are people I look up to. This is the type of impact I want to make on this Earth. If I can make this type of impact up to this point, what can I do if you call Bob Iger and say ‘Yo, give him a shot!’ If you call Oprah and say, ‘Back this kid.’”

Ultimately, Kanye West is frustrated with being belittled, despite the numerous accomplishments that he has worked for. He wants to be taken seriously when he talks about racism in America, but understands that people just want his shutter shade glasses.

Hey, Kanye, you’re outdated and misinformed: Controversial musician doesn’t know his limits.

Ajdin Dautović, Contributor

Kanye West has long been the target of comedy sketches, and often criticized for his over-the-top personality. He’s also made large statements like “George Bush hates black people,” or and infamously interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. He’s a big character, and he’s often polarizing. Despite this, the first six of his albums have gone platinum.

He certainly does overstep his celebrity status and speaks on issues which he isn’t knowledgeable about.

In 2013, as reported by Pitchfork, he made anti-Semitic comments that insinuated Barack Obama wasn’t able to push through legislation or “he’s not executing” because he lacked money, unlike Jews. What he fails to realize is that following the Holocaust, many Jews were left in various regions in Europe with nowhere to go. Some of them decided to move to Argentina, Brazil, Italy, the United States, and other countries. These refugees, who fled persecution to save their families lives, came to these foreign lands with college educations, some even doctors, and yet some worked as labourers in their new countries.

In 2005, when West infamously said “George Bush hates black people,” he stunned a majority of people within the United States. Race relations within the United States are still poor in 2015 as we’ve entered a new age of racism denial. Nonetheless, his assertion could have been directed at any president really. Not enough has been done to alleviate poverty in African-American communities that face hardships, both in economic terms and social terms. Saying that a certain president hates black people is a powerful statement from a global music icon. His words carry weight, and he’d be better off educating himself on the struggle of African-Americans since their enslavement in the United States, and also on how to best break down these tense barriers between white and black Americans.

West can often be self-righteous, and has a tendency to claim he’s a genius. He once was the inspiration of a Jimmy Kimmel skit where Kimmel had recreated an interview Kanye had with Zane Lowe. The skit involved the use of two children re-enacting the interview of Kanye and Lowe which resulted in a “twitter feud” between Kimmel and West in 2013. West later went to apologize for the reaction, and said that was he misunderstood. Certainly.

West has the potential to change lives, create musical programs or initiatives for young kids, and inspire the new generation to strive for something greater. However, he’s often caught in controversy as he speaks out on issues that he lacks sophistication on. Becoming a public figure, whether it be in a political capacity as a politician or a creative capacity as a musician, means that one has to take responsibility for their actions and recognize the implications of them. If West truly feels that Bush hates Black people, or he’s misunderstood, or he’s correct in saying Obama is less successful than predecessors because he lacks money, then he needs to establish some credible legitimacy on these issues instead of becoming a controversial figure one day, rather than just brushing off all the criticism directed towards him as personal or bigoted.

There’s little point in disputing his musical talents, but West’s approach towards the media, and knack for creating controversial comments which he lacks to back up with rhetoric or hard evidence, make him an enigma.

West is a unique individual, and a talent in his industry, but he needs to critically evaluate his priorities in life. More specifically, he should seek to help low income communities that struggle providing youth with the opportunities and tools to succeed musically.

Or, you know, just actually help society out, in ways he sees fit, instead of objectifying his wife by posting her on the front of Paper Mag.