Kanye Omari West is a prominent name in the rap industry and has been at the top for years now.
Other than his rap flow and overall talent for music, he is known for his beloved relationship with Kim Kardashian West and their three children. Even though overall he has a positive image and has not been involved in any major scandals, West has promoted misogyny in his songs and has even shown support for Donald Trump.
These past few days, West has been posting erratic and anti-black messages via Twitter, comparing racism and oppression to “a mentality.”
there was a time when slavery was the trend and apparently that time is still upon us. But now it's a mentality.
— ye (@kanyewest) April 22, 2018
It is things like these that we must not ignore. If I, a Hispanic gay man, was absolutely disgusted when I saw this, I cannot imagine what it means to fans of West.
Kanye has shaped the music industry and is a perfect representative of black success, strength and ambition. However, this tweet, among some others, completely destroys that part of him many admire. Through an analysis of this tweet, one might be able to draw such conclusions: the racism and oppression that black people face is just an illusion. It’s simply a way that you think — like how you might be offended when somebody prefers tea over coffee. It’s a small, unimportant thing. What people think is racism is actually just their mindset making them believe that what they just heard or experienced is racist.
Many of the #MAGA crowd has gathered in the comments, agreeing and endorsing West’s anti-black message. This is not even the worst part yet.
On Saturday, rapper @kanyewest praised conservative commentator @RealCandaceO after she shut down a Black Lives Matter protest during an event at UCLA. https://t.co/GZasZYwTaB pic.twitter.com/r5OhVa1muH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 23, 2018
In case you don’t know who Candace Owens is, she is a black representative of “Turning Point USA” — a fascist organization lead by diaper boy Charlie Kirk. Owens, to be quite fairly, is a fascist herself and is either completely brainwashed, or TPUSA is paying a hefty amount to keep Owens as a pawn. She is homophobic, anti-black, anti-immigration and has even gone so far as to say “Illegal Is The New Black.” Owens expresses xenophobic views toward DACA recipients, and for Kanye to say “he loves the way she thinks” is absolutely disgusting.
Candace Owens has also been highly rewarded by Fox recently due to a Black Lives Matter rally at UCLA.
The message is clear now: Along with Kanye being a misogynist, he is also anti-black, alt-right, anti-DACA / Immigration, and he obviously does not believe black people are oppressed.
While many are horrified by Kanye and are choosing to “drop” him, concerns have been raised over his mental health.
In 2016, West tweeted and stated erratic and problematic things before becoming hospitalized in a psychiatric ward for a mental breakdown. Some fear history is repeating himself and that we should extend help to him, rather than continue to bash him.
https://twitter.com/katystoll/status/988824622811381760
Kanye West is human just like the rest of us, and many speculate he is bipolar or has another similar mental illness. It seems he acts out before crashing down — almost like a cry for help. West has revealed he has suffered from opioid usage, and like most addictions, it could always resurface.
Whether you agree with his views or not, it’s important to remember these facts and that he could be trying to reach out. West will surely be looked closely at for weeks to come and hopefully he receives whatever help he needs.
Cover Image Courtesy of hooha44 via Flickr.
