Ode

“I miss the old Kanye, straight from the Go Kanye
Chop up the soul Kanye, set on his goals Kanye
I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye
The always rude Kanye, spaz in the news Kanye
I miss the sweet Kanye, chop up the beats Kanye
I gotta say, at that time I’d like to meet Kanye”

By Senior Writer Dayna Haffenden

These memorable lyrics are an interlude from Kanye’s recent body of work, The Life of Pablo. I love his work and my knowledge of his oeuvre has developed over the years.

West is a rapper who always seems to be a grand topic of conversation, either for his public escapades, such as interrupting country star Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video at a MTV Video Music Awards and announcing that Beyonce deserved the award or because of his marriage to Kim Kardashian.

He walked out of the 2004 American Music Awards after losing the Best New Artist title to country singer Gretchen Wilson. “I was the best new artist this year,” he complained backstage at the time. Two years later, West crashed the stage of the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards and unleashed a profanity-laced rant after losing in the Best Hip-Hop Artist category to Justice and Simian. West said his “Touch the Sky” video was better because it “cost a million dollars. Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons.”

Later, he apologized, explaining that he had enjoyed “a little sippy sippy” before the ceremony.

Wife Kim Kardashian was robbed in her hotel room in October in Paris. Following the robbery, West was hospitalized due to exhaustion and was released a month later from U.C.L.A Medical Center. Some saw a cosmic connection There were questions. Was Kanye trying to put on a perfect act and has finally showed that he is not so Godly as he hoped everyone would perceive? Or is he in fact human and has raw emotions that he needs to deal with?

According to biography.com, The 39-year-old rapper was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, 1977. He was raised by his mother who divorced his father when he was. Donda West, an English professor, emphasized the importance of education. West graduated from Polaris High School and attended one year at the Chicago State University where he studied art. His mother, who was highly disappointed when he dropped out, gave him one year to defend his decision to see what he would do for a career without a college degree.

West moved to New York where he became a well paid producer for Sean Carter, also known as Jay-Z. West used everything he learned to produce his debut album, The College Dropout, which landed him a Grammy for Best Rap Album. West would go on to release six more studio albums following his debut.

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind how creative Yeezus  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeezus  is and he has awards to back it up. Yeezus has won over 21 Grammy’s and has also been nominated for eight Grammy’s for the 59th annual show happening February of next year. Kane’s latest album has been nominated for Best Rap Album.

Kanye has been through a lot. His mother died in November, 2007, due to complications from a cosmetic surgery. She was 58 years old at the time and had been warned against having the surgery because of her age. She was pronounced dead at Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center. A spokesperson for the hospital told Access Hollywood, “Donda West was brought into the emergency room at Centinela. She was unresponsive and in cardiac arrest. They tried to revive her and were unsuccessful.”

His mother’s influence was evident before and after her death. Yeezus proved to the world within a two-month range that Kane went from being rebuked ignominiously to someone with emotions and deserving of empathy. In September, 2009, when Beyonce didn’t win Video of the Year at the VMA’s, Kanye West stormed the stage to tell Taylor Swift that she didn’t deserve it. The world viewed him as an repugnant but Kanye believed he was standing up for one of his favorite artists.

There was a sudden change in reaction to West when he went on the Jay Leno show. Caught off guard when Leno asked him a about his mother, “What would your mom say if she was still alive,” he broke down in tears.

Jay Leno

According to Mental Health America, coping with the death of a love one is extremely difficult. “These feelings are normal and common reactions to loss. You may not be prepared for the intensity and duration of your emotions or how swiftly your moods may change. You may even begin to doubt the stability of your mental health,” according to the site.

Kanye canceled his Saint Pablo tour in late November and it was revealed that he was seeking medical help. The tour features a floating stage that allowed fans to interact with Yeezus. I too was a fan who looking forward to this highly anticipated tour. I bought tickets for the December 30 show at the Barclays Center. I was disappointed when I got a refund from Ticket Master informing me that West cancelled the tour.

Along the tour, Kanye West made announcements before being hospitalized. West made a stop in Seattle where he said that Jay-Z only used a phone call to find out how his longtime friend was doing and that angered Kanye. He stopped his tour to say, “Don’t call me, after the robbery, and say ‘How you feelin?’ You wanna know how I’m feelin? Come by the house.”

In addition to his estranged relationship with Jay-Z, West made another announcement at his tour. According to vibe.com, the Chi-Town rapper said he was a fan of Donald Trump. He said he enjoyed his debate style, called him a “genius” and then said that if he had voted, he would have voted for Trump. There have been recent pictures of West at Trump’s palatial office on Fifth Avenue posing with Donald Trump.

This came as a shock. West has always been one to stand up in issues of racism and prejudice. In an interview he did with Zane Lowe talking about life, music, and his passions, he brought up how he felt the need to stand up against racism and remind everyone why he believed highly of himself. West stated he didn’t view himself as “nigga” but rather a God. At his visit with the President-elect at the Trump Tower, he said, “I just wanted to take a picture with him.”

“He is just a hypocrite,” said Cindy Johnson, 25, who is studying for her masters at Ashford University. “It doesn’t change my viewpoint that he was hospitalized during the same month that his mother passed.”

Johnson, of East 56th Street, Brooklyn, who wore black leggings, black sweater, white sneakers and a grey hat, said that she listened to Kanye for years and was looking forward to his tour before he cancelled it. She said that people go through grief all the time but there is a way to carry one’s self, especially in the public eye. Johnson, who is studying childhood education, also said if he wanted to be viewed as someone mighty, then he has to make mighty decisions. She said that he shouldn’t be opposed to racism if he makes comments about the possibility of voting for Trump if he took the chance.

“I feel bad for him honestly,” said Barry Peters, 21-year-old Hunter music major. at Hunter College. “He is human, he is just trying to go through life and is figuring things out still regardless of his age.”

Peters, of East 53rd Street, Brooklyn said that West inspired him to become a producer. Peters, who wore a black sweater, blue jeans, yellow sneakers and white hat, said that he looked to West as someone who has been through a lot. He said that West is just like everyone and sometimes engaged in contradictions. The 21-year-old West lover went to the Saint Pablo tour and said it was one of the greatest experiences of his life. He expressed sympathy for this writer and said he wished I would’ve experienced the greatness as well. Peters said he was happy West was out of the hospital and has already heard rumors that he was working on another album.

YouTube: Kayne West Meets President-elect Donald Trump

Overall, it does seem like some fans miss the “Old Kanye.” However, there is no old Kanye. This is who he was all along. Kanye is arrogant, sometimes acts ignorantly, honestly and brutally and, most importantly, real. He speaks for how he feels at the moment and he is always living in the moment.

 

Kanye, continue entrancing the world with your music. If the world stops listening to you, I’ll still have my headphones plugged in with your music. This artist has flaws but that doesn’t stop his creativity because he is perfectly imperfect.