Kanye West: Troublemaker or Strategist
During the Grammy Awards on February 8th, Kanye West (it seemed jokingly at first, but we learned later not so) almost stormed the stage to take away Beck’s award for Best Album of the Year. It would have been a repeat of the same schtick when he walked onstage during Taylor Swift’s proud moment at the Video Music Awards for Best Female Music Video in 2009. In my opinion, it was not acceptable the first time and it definitely is not acceptable this time. Kanye West needs to stop acting this way.
While I understand his reasoning behind the Grammy incident (personal disclosure: I do believe that Beyoncé or Sam Smith should have won the award over Beck), but when you put yourself out there as a celebrity and are an idol to hundreds of thousands of fans, you have to exude that sense of professionalism and respect. In this case, Kanye does not show that he has respect for his peers. Especially when he made comments during the after party by saying ironically:
“The Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We ain't gonna play with them no more…Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé, and at this point, we tired of it. Because what happens is, when you keep on diminishing art and not respecting the craft and smacking people in their face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you're disrespectful to inspiration” (Camp; Kanye West: “Beck Needs to Respect Artistry and He Should Have Given His Award to Beyoncé;” Pitchfork; Feb 9, 2015)
In fact, Kanye is now flirting with becoming a punch line, as he was during the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary show.
But here’s the thing: Kanye West preaches this idea of diminishing art and not respecting the craft but in this case he is acting like a hypocrite. If he wanted to respect artistry, he would have kept his seat. Each and every artist, music or otherwise, has a different way of presenting their artistry. Beck in this case is a talented musician who has been in this industry since 1985. He’s He has been hailed by critics and publics alike as being amongst the most creative and idiosyncratic musicians of the 1990s and 2000s alternative rock.
While Beck does not possess a relevant presence within the younger generation like Beyoncé or some of the others nominated in the category. Beyoncé is without a doubt an amazing performer and a powerful figure deserving of the acclaim of her industry. The good news is she has a lifetime to get a Grammy. She is 33 years old after all; and its exciting to see all the success she has earned within her 17 years of working in the industry is extraordinary.
Kanye West is a talented entertainer who for now is better known (aside from marrying Kim Kardashian) for speaking out against public figures such as George W. Bush and for acting out at award shows. But as a celebrity with a wide following, he should know better. That’s the truth. He can have a right to his opinion, as we all do. But there is always a time and place for everything. Let those who’ve achieved excellence have their moment in the sun.
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