The most controversial artist of our generation: Kanye West
I have never liked Kanye West, but I have never hated him either. Before the blowup of his controversies, I simply saw him as a rapper that made music I don't like and with some annoying fans. Though to be honest, this impression was mainly carved off one person plus the internet.
For those who are not aware, Kanye West has been a figure of controversy for some time now. In an interview in 2018, he stated that slavery "sounds like a choice". I know, I know; what was he thinking? I could go on forever about what stupid remarks Kanye has made over the years, but I will focus on the more recent controversy.
In late 2022, Kanye West stated "every human being has brought something of value, especially Hitler". He follows with saying he loves Hitler and Nazis, then posts a picture of a swastika merged with the Star of David on Twitter.
When in an influencer position like Kanye, you have to be extremely careful with your words. Especially nowadays, people will take things wrong and it could be career ending. Unfortunately for Kanye, he does the exact opposite of this; he makes it difficult to side with him.
Admittedly, I understand part of what he is saying. Spreading love and looking at the positives in everyone without exception is a beautiful way of looking at things. However, his way of expressing this is atrocious. First of all, claiming he loves everyone, especially Hitler. It is already a risky thing to claim love for one of the most evil people in history, but to double down and state your love for Hitler above others... needless to say, nobody reacted well to this.
I would like to add that Kanye says other questionable things on the same topic. He says there are positive things about Hitler, such as inventing highways and the microphone. The issue with these claims is that neither of them are true. Kanye also says he loves Nazis, which leaves his point of loving every individual; by definition, a Nazi is one who stands for antisemitism, supremacy of their own race, and ultimately, the Holocaust.
So while he may have a slight innocent foundation with his "love for all", Kanye West has said too many things to discredit himself. False claims about invention, claiming love for a group designed to do bad to others, and emphasizing on his love for Hitler are things he did not need to say. But since he said them, less people can view him as someone preaching good.
What's so interesting about him is how he still has people that look up to him. Why is this? I will be using Mariel Bustamante's "10 reasons we love Kanye West" article as a reference.
Like all people, there is good and there is bad. And within good and bad, there is the perspective that decides what is good and what is bad. Here are some qualities Mariel likes about Kanye, with my comments looking at it in two different ways:
~ "Lie to yourself all you want, Kanye haters, but Kanye West is a musical genius"
The "good": Kanye is extremely innovative with his music, and is willing to make sounds that most people would probably not give a chance in the studio
The "bad": Calling anyone that doesn't enjoy Kanye's music a hater and a liar is an immature point to bring up; everyone has preferences, especially in music. It is a fact that when making music, not everyone will like it.
~ "Arrogant or self-confident? We say self-confident" :
The "good": Self-confidence is big in a person, and even bigger in an influencer. Kanye's confidence is a large factor in what makes so many people believe in him.
The "bad": Arrogance and ego; when a person puts themselves above others, it becomes difficult to have the same level of respect for them as you would otherwise. Writing off the notion that Kanye has a massive ego with "we say self-confident" shows that some fans just can't accept truths.
~ "Kanye makes mistakes, just like any other person on the planet"
The "good": This is true, as every person makes mistakes. We as people must make mistakes to learn and become better versions of ourselves.
The "bad": Some mistakes are worse than others. Yes, people make big mistakes, but this sounds like an easy way to write off mess-ups.
~ "There is no hiding the fact that Kanye is a professional at speaking his mind, and anybody can respect that. He is often seen as arrogant or excessive with his words, but why? He’s always in the public eye, but he’s not afraid to express himself and talk about what he loves—that’s respectable"
The "good": Not hiding your opinion and being true to yourself is another trait of a likable and respectable influencer.
The "bad": While this is true, it is only true to an extent. Having influence over others, especially millions of people, is a responsibility. You have the power to be positive, but also to put bad ideas in people's heads.
As you can see, every statement here can be looked at in multiple ways. The reason it may look as though Kanye West fans twist things to make him look good is simply that they see things from a different perspective. Because of course, like in most people, he has a good and bad things about him. And as I stated earlier, within that, there are different ways to look at these good and bad sides.
The importance in understanding this concept is that this is how Kanye West sees the controversies revolving around him. His unique perspective allows him to come up with these "hot takes". This combined with his morals of speaking your mind is what always puts Kanye at the center of controversy. Perspective is key in a person's views. To understand why someone may think a certain way, it is important to consider perspectives.
For example, here is Piers Morgan's take on Kanye's initial Twitter ban:
Some may see a social media ban as free speech suppression. This is a valid point, but it becomes a more difficult situation when the free speech is openly making hateful comments.
Basically, Kanye West is constantly at the center of controversy. He explores unique perspectives and has ideas in his head that sound awful to others. He makes a lot of sense to some people, and no sense to others. Kanye's remarks upset many, which is what caused him to lose so much respect.