In the Defense of Kanye West

You hate him.

He’s an egotistical, arrogant, ungrateful man with a hard on for material objects and controversy.

I’m obsessed.

I understand why you hate him. He says what’s on his mind and despite all the posters and quotes telling people to be themselves, when someone says fuck it to being politically correct society gets all up in arms. Can’t we accept and move on? You say he’s a bad person? Why? What did he do? Marry an idiot? Well, ya but dat ass doe.

He’s not a bad person. Kanye just loves himself- a lot, and apparently if you don’t have some sort of complex about not being good enough, you are arrogant. So he wants to wear a mask on stage. Get over it, sweetheart. We know you’re going to belt out the words to Homecoming either way. I don’t think he’s sorry for  internalizing everything kindergarten teachers preach  about believing in yourself and following your dreams. I thought one was supposed to do this, but not too much I guess.

But, Kanye does take it to the extreme.

I’ve never known someone to love themselves quite as much as Kanye. But then again, I haven’t known anyone to be so forward thinking and brave when pushing creative boundaries. You want another College Dropout but Kanye is Kanye so you’re not going to get one. He’s one of the few artists that continually evolves and pushes themselves to make NEW music. Not the same beat, or the same lyrics of the same thought we’ve heard a thousand time. No, Kanye creates ways to combine sounds to make a unique composition. Then wait a year and a lot of other albums will suddenly have a very Kanye-esque feel.

Example? All of the Lights was on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

The horns used during the intro to this jam were rarely used in hip hop or rap culture. However, Drake’s Trophies which he released via his Soundcloud in late December 2013, was produced by Hit-Boy and encompasses very similar sounding horns as All of the Lights as well. An Ode to Kanye? Maybe not, but influenced by him? No doubt.

He’s far and above more cretive than the majority of musicians and famous celebrities. He mentions artists in his raps because he is one. Yes, he compared himself to William Shakespeare, but is that far off? Billy S wrote the most influential stories and writings of his time. While you were drowning in Fierce and three quarter sleeved t-shirts at Abercrombie & Fitch, Kanye was pioneering hip hop production. He wasn’t a rapper (officially), and no one wanted him to be because when someone produces all this why let him stop making beats?! After he changed the game with this laundry list of production hits, he decided to put out arguably one of the best freshman albums.

Ever.

College Dropout has been compared to The Illmatic, Ready to Die and Reasonable Doubt.

Then people started listening.

Now they listen and the complaints pile up simultaneously.

Graduation was commercial. 808s and Heartbreak was junk. Yeezus is messy and weird.

Wrong.

Graduation was a masterpiece. 808s and Heartbreak was innovative. Yeezus is avant garde redefined.

Stop waiting to hear simply laid out beats over a nice snare drum. You want that, go buy Born Sinner- it’s fantastic.

Stop saying he’s crazy and this and that about Kim. Kim sucks. Kanye doesn’t. Why did he wife her?

That’s why.

What was that Bound 2 video about, you know, the one you complained about? It was the closest thing to a sex tape- Kim loves the camera, that he could release and he did it on The Ellen Show. THE ELLEN SHOW. He also had not done any interviews or media appearances in years. This was a hell of a way to re-enter the media circus. But why do you care what he does? Does it affect you if he says this or that? The fact that it does bother everyone so much I’m sure is just fuel for Kanye to do even more stupid shit. I hope he does, it’s pretty jokes.

It’s time society was able to separate personal and professional life. Unfortunately this is a toxic union as bound as the one between church and state. But those who understand that you can- they win.  Those are the people that listen to Kanye West.

If you want something you’ve never heard before, listen to Kanye. If you want to be blown away from a creative and imaginative perspective, listen to Kanye. But let Kanye be Kanye. Screw everything you don’t understand about Kanye because you don’t have to understand and you probably couldn’t if you wanted.

So continue to roll your eyes at his antics and fast forward his interviews, but Kanye is changing the music industry- accept it.