Before we get into what is the latest mess surrounding Kanye West, I have to admit that I don’t have the answers.
I can’t definitively tell you whether to take Kanye’s outlandish statements with a pinch of salt, or even whether to continue being a fan of him, his music, his ‘art’ – but what I do know is that it’s time to say enough is enough.
Enough with him bringing down the Black community on worldwide platforms and enough of the wash, rinse, repeat cycle of being outraged, forgetting, moving on and then the same thing happening again in a few months’ time.
I’m all here for a ridiculous celebrity stunt that ultimately harms no one – Sacha Baron Cohen infiltrating Milan Fashion Week in character as Bruno, maybe, but Kanye wearing a ‘White Lives Matter’ top at a fashion show in Paris, absolutely not.
Even an attention-seeking Kanye on a basic level, I can deal with, but when it comes to attacking social injustice movements, this is where the laughter stops and we as spectators of entertainment have to draw a line.
As a Black British person, having a Black award-winning, globally-recognised and talented rapper essentially denounce the Black Lives Matter movement during the UK’s Black History Month, couldn’t have felt like more of a kick in the guts.
For us in the UK, October is a time when many of us make efforts to highlight the positive impact Black figures have made and a time when we particularly amplify our voices.
So it could not have come at a worse time to see not only one but two prominent Black figures – Kanye and conservative political commentator Candace Owens – have the audacity to stand on a live-streamed global platform wearing tops with the slogan ‘White Lives Matter’ printed clear as day.
I am – or maybe was – a self-professed life-long Kanye fan but I am not OK with him continually tearing down the Black community all in the name of flogging a few overpriced Yeezy outfits.
It’s not art, Kanye, or simply freedom of speech, at this point it’s just antagonising.
For many of us who still think highly of Kanye’s musical talent, we probably tend to brush off his antics and regard him as that cousin or family member who we know says controversial things but accept that’s just who they are.
But it’s got to the point where Kanye does and says so much that with each new controversy, the last one feels like a distant memory.
Doesn’t it already feel like a lifetime ago that everyone was up in arms over Kanye releasing an animated video of himself burying alive ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s then new boyfriend Pete Davidson? That was only in March. Or, when he shared an Instagram post declaring Pete ‘dead’? That happened just weeks ago in August.
When it comes to his controversial comments about the Black community, they’re mounting as the years go on.
The man who once spoke up for African Americans and declared on live TV: ‘George Bush doesn’t care about Black people,’ is now the very man making ridiculous statements such as that ‘slavery for 400 years sounds like a choice’, while also claiming that formerly enslaved civil rights activist Harriet Tubman ‘never actually freed the slaves’.
I’d really like to know what Kanye’s goal was in denouncing the Black Lives Matter movement as a ‘scam’.
For full transparency, yes, there have been questions over how donations towards the organisation have been put to use over the years, but that’s not to say the intentions of those who support BLM should be scrutinised. BLM has overall become a force for good, highlighting incidents of injustice whether it be the murder of George Floyd or any other Black person dying as the result of police brutality.
In Kanye promoting the ‘White Lives Matter’ slogan, what good does it do?
It’s been explained countless times that the Black Lives Matter messaging isn’t to say white lives don’t matter, it’s that our lives and voices matter also.
Of course, it’s well-documented that Kanye has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and so, a level of sensitivity needs to be had when discussing his mental health and state of mind. However, to attribute his damaging antics entirely to his mental health could actually be offensive to those who do battle with bipolar and similar disorders, and do so without insulting others.
It’s even worse because I’m not sure I believe that Kanye himself even believes half the controversial things he says. It’s now coming across as though he’s just reaching for anything that can draw attention to himself and give his albums and clothes a sales boost.
Many of his so-called outbursts have coincided around his project releases and that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
We can probably all agree that Kanye enjoys trolling the masses and, while I don’t have the answers on how to deal with a ‘problem’ like Kanye, it’s probably best to tune out the nonsense going forward.
Trolls feed off the attention and criticism so, when Kanye’s next inevitable stunt rolls around, shall we all collectively ignore and look the other way?
Although, in an age where society craves controversy, scandal and can’t help looking at the disaster, I’m not confident that’s going to happen.
You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.