I'm not a big Kanye fan, but I like some of his music. I don't agree with a lot of what he says, but I believe people have the right to their own opinion. He's had personal problems in the past and has sparked controversy for attention. But after this recent rant online, it truly shows who this person really is.
Kanye was on TMZ on Tuesday and posted an interview with Charlamagne the God on YouTube . I'm not going in depth but will leave links below for you to watch.
Seeing these interviews showed two things that are wrong with Kanye: His values and mental health. He spoke on getting liposuction, his addiction to opioids, his turbulent relationship with Jay-Z, and his meltdown back in 2016. But what's really catching wildfire is that he flat out stated that slavery was a choice.
"It sounds like a choice made by black people because it went unchallenged for 400 years. You were there for 400 years, and it’s all of Y'all? It’s like we’re mentally in prison,” he said.
On Taylor Swift's affecting his career: "Really, ever since the Taylor Swift moment, it had just never been the same, with radio. It's like, whatever powers that be, it was much harder after that."
On Obama calling him a "jackass" for the VMA Incident: "You know, it would have been better if that video didn't get out... he could have communicated with me... So just tell me you love me, tell the world you love me."
His mental state: "Nah, I don't need a therapist, I use the world as my therapist. Anyone I talk to is my therapist. I want to change the stigma of crazy, and the stigma of mental health, period. I haven't done any extra study of it, we're at the beginning of the conversation, but best believe I'm gonna change the stigma. People take something enlightened, put it in the wrong context, and call it crazy."
On slavery and icons in history: "We definitely are dealing with racism, but I want to push future concepts ... I want to talk about Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. That was the moment I wanted to use Bitcoin when I saw Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. It's like when you see all the slave movies, why you gotta keep reminding us about slavery?
Why don't you put Michael Jordan on the $20 bill? I know this is going to cause an uproar, but certain icons, it's just too far in the past and not relatable, and that's what makes them safe. They'll let you go on the Grammys and talk about slavery and all that and racism because it's not talking about buying stock, it's not talking about buying property... You can complain as hard as you want about that platform, but ultimately it's not scary."
For my young people, do you remember what Killmonger said in Black Panther on the ledge of the mountain looking at the sunset as T'Challa offered to give him aid to his wounds from battle with each other? Here's the quote below.
Yeah, that wasn't just in the script. That is straight from a history book.
As an African American whose parents immigrated from Congo and made aware of what my ancestors had endured for years, I was disgusted and disturbed by what he was saying. Kanye has since defended his statements and said that he does not read and that he is a free thinker. Everyone is not mad at Kanye for supporting Trump, he's free to have his own opinion.
The reason why the black community is in an uproar is that he is saying inaccurate, incoherent, and uneducated statements that disrespect and hurt not only the black community but fellow Americans and fans of him. His words devalued the men and women who fought and ran for their lives only to be killed or punished by torture and mutilation.
If you are going to have free thought, the first thought that should be had is education.
This is not a political discussion, this is a mental health discussion. Kanye has been in his own self-philosophical bubble in his mansion, surrounded by "yes men" and people who are enabling his behavior. He isn't affected by what's happening to the regular folk of the world.
This is a man that has gone through so much pain in his life and hasn't mourned and grieved properly. He's lost his mother, been through lows in his career, fertility problems with his wife, and personal breakdowns. He's resorted to finding happiness in sales, money, recognition, acknowledgment, and power. He has become more concerned about his persona to the public, unaware of what the influence and impact of his words have on this generation.
This shows how someone with so much money, fame and power can never be fully content. Kanye is on a downward spiral and this will hurt his career heavily. The more he speaks this way, the more he is damaging himself and his mind.
He's being exploited by so many and no one is stepping up and checking him for it. This is a man in crisis and calling for help. This isn't defending his words but stating the obvious issue. This is the same thing we saw with Micheal Jackson and the same thing we saw with Prince. They were legends but we do not know what happens behind closed doors.
All we can do as people is just pray for him to find peace and clarity with himself and that somebody will speak up and get him to seek the help that he needs.
