At MTV’s Video Music Awards last August, the political world and the entertainment world came to a head-on collision as hip-hop superstar Kanye West belligerently announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election. It was a bold move by anyone’s standards, especially by one who admittedly made this decision stoned. Nonetheless, the two former diametrically opposite spectrums of entertainment and politics have met at the forefront of American society. By the looks of the current 2016 run for the White House, these two worlds are more in sync than ever- debates often serving as de facto rap battles, something West is probably quite familiar with. Exemplified by Donald Trump’s rise in the polls, it is clear that in order to gain the attention of today’s voter, one must harness the power of self-edification and peculiarity, something Kanye (self-proclaimed “Yeezus”) has by the barrel. Last week, the Democratic candidates for president took to the debate stage for a battle of their own. However, to many, this debate lacked certain flair, excitement, or maybe even “West-ness”. For that reason, let us imagine the difference that Kanye would have made had it been four years later. This practice, while based in absolute absurdity, may be fun nonetheless.
As the candidates take their respective podiums, front-runner Hillary Clinton is placed front and center. Self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialist” Bernie Sanders is to her left, and of course, Kanye West is to her right, baggie burlap suit and all. The candidates are asked to give a two-minute introduction speech, an upgrade from the 30 seconds given to candidates in the Republican debate. Just the right amount of time for Kanye to lay out his platform for higher taxes for the top 1% (which he is ironically a part of), less divide between the racial sectors of our society (remember what George Bush thinks about black people?), and the second verse of Through the Wire (because we all need to know more about his personal background).
As Anderson Cooper opens his line of questioning by asking Hillary Clinton if she will “say anything just to get elected”, Kanye raises an eyebrow. As Clinton bashes Sanders for not appealing to “capitalist ideals”, Kanye jumps in. His new clothing line, apparently inspired by the vogue trends occurring on planet Tatooine, prices garments in the $1,000 to $4,000 range. If he is not a believer in capitalism then I’m not sure who is. We might suspect that West would oppose Sanders’ free college tuition plan as well. A notable late registrar and subsequent college dropout may be sufficient evidence that a college degree is not an appropriate prerequisite for success. As far as foreign policy goes, Kanye might just plow over the field completely. When asked how he would deal with the equally stubborn and belligerent Vladimir Putin, West silently peers into the audience in search of his family, a sea of Kardashians. All he has to do is wink and smile.
If that thought experiment had you in fear of modern democracy, good. Our hope should be that registered voters view it as a complete farce. While the entertainment factor that has infiltrated this years race is thankfully not nearly at the levels that the 2020 race is shaping up to be, we must be aware of the difference between politically driven motives and popularity driven motives. That being said, can we just imagine how fun the Kardashians would be as the First Family? For now, consider it only a mere possibility. But if the 2016 race has taught us anything as it pertains to Kanye West’s possible 2020 bid, it’s to Watch the Throne.
