Wake Up Mr. West: Thoughts on Kanye West, Hip Hop and Blackness in a Trump World

Wake Up Mr. West!

Last week Kanye West returned from his Twitter hiatus with a series of tweets expressing his support of Candace Owens and Donald Trump. Instantly Social Media became a sh*t storm with various takes accusing Kanye West of race betrayal, mental illness, Kardashian curse, trolling his fans, and falling into the "sunken place" (in reference to the film Get Out).

My first reaction was WHY. Why did Kanye's tweets upset people so much? First, there's no denying Kanye's influence on hip hop, pop music, and fashion over the last 15 years. He is arguably the most significant and relevant male artist over the span of his career. His album releases have all been highly anticipated spectacles, where fans and critics alike debate the artistic vision and genius of his execution. It's one thing when he's interrupting Taylor Swift, criticizing George W. Bush, or marrying a Kardashian because his music was beyond approach. So if we (culture as a whole) excused Kanye as "yeah he's an asshole, but he's our asshole", then why is his support of Trump different?

My second thought is his stature in hip hop. Hip Hop as a culture was rooted in the expression of youth, Black, anti-establishment looking to be heard. Over time hip hop has expanded and become more inclusive to people of all races and cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Hip Hop is no longer a subculture, it's been accepted (or absorbed) into popular culture. If the inclusivity of hip hop is always expanding and the biggest consumers of hip hop are in fact white folk, wouldn't it be logical that hip hop would eventually have conservative voices? Why is it so appalling, so offensive for there to be a pro-Trump artist? Maybe it would have been different if it was Eminem or Action Bronson voicing their support of Trump, after all they're white. Perhaps it was so hurtful because it came from a black man.

Although they are a minority, there are Black Conservatives. People like Ben Carson, Clarence Thomas, and Condoleezza Rice have all been significant players on The Right. Does the Black Community immediately dismiss them as "Uncle Toms"? Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Maybe they aren't "really black" because they came from relative privilege and affluence. And perhaps Kanye West growing up middle class lacks the "blackness" or "real n*gga" credentials of someone who grew up poorer and experienced "real" discrimination.

But then again, Kanye has referenced "the struggle" in his art. On "Spaceships" from The College Dropout, Kanye talks about being racially profiled and propped up as a "token blackie" at the Gap. On "Crack Music" from Late Registration, Kanye brilliantly uses the crack epidemic as a metaphor for the spread of rap music. Even on "New Slaves" where he makes the comparison of the black experience to the materialistic trappings of stardom, Kanye expresses a racial awareness that shows full solidarity with his Black brethren. Perhaps that's why the "betrayal" cuts so deep.

So what do we do? How do fans of Kanye's music respond to Kanye the man? Are we able to separate art from life? Can we enjoy his music ever again? I would actually love to ask Conservative fans of Beyonce how they respond when she expresses her political views or performed at Barrack Obama's Inauguration. Did they boycott her or did they still embrace her because her talent is so undeniable? Will we have the same "forgiveness" of Kanye if his next album is a masterpiece?

Perhaps fans have been so repulsed that many won't give Kanye's new album a listen. That's understandable too. My question then is do we boycott his entire catalogue or only his "post-Trump" material? Do we also boycott all of the songs he's produced? Frankly there are too many classic Jay-Z tracks that have Kanye's fingerprints on them. Talib Kweli's "Get By" was a WOKE anthem.

Personally, I'll take the same approach with Kanye that I did for R. Kelly. In the midst of his "pee tape" and subsequent scandals, it's becoming harder and harder to become an R. Kelly fan. I've rationalized that I can still listen to pre-PEE R. Kelly, his music from the 90's up until probably The Chocolate Factory, after all that album had "Ignition (Remix)" and "Step in the Name of Love". If I can keep that period of R. Kelly sacred, then I can sacrifice the rest. The same with Kanye. If I make the argument that pre-Kardashian Kanye was fine, then the cut off is Watch the Throne. If y'all cool with that, I can still occasionally listen to tracks like "Touch the Sky", "Stronger", "All Falls Down", "Amazing", "Runaway" and "N*ggas in Paris" whenever "I miss the old Kanye".