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Good or bad, everyone has something to say about dear old Kanye. Musical genius or crazed racist? Can Kanye be defined? Featuring takes from Mr. Bermudez and Mr. Perry, jump in as we open this can of worms and try answering this burning question.
Kanye West started producing beats in the late 90’s which led to him getting signed to Roc-A-Fella, opening doors and introducing him to bigger artists like Jay Z. Kanye had a fresh, smooth style, something new that got the people going, and soon enough in 2004 he released his own album, The College Dropout, officially solidifying his career in music and forever leaving an impact on the way music is created and listened to.
In Kanye’s latest release, VULTURES, he tests and breaks limits set by big music industries. This entire album is self produced and self advertised. Though it was delayed and faced multiple problems upon its release, like being removed from apple music not once but twice in protest of the place the album reached on the charts, VULTURES quickly rose to the top. Even with the monetary success, peoples’ opinions vary: some absolutely love it, and some are left craving more. Mr. Bermudez, an English teacher at Washington High School, wasn’t satisfied, stating, “The biggest mistake was the overhype.” Reviews are mixed, but the common feeling is that this album doesn’t compare to Kanye’s old hits; he’s changed.
However, it’s impossible to talk about Kanye West without addressing the controversy surrounding him. Starting all the way in 2005, on a live broadcast he made a statement claiming “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” In 2009 he interrupted Taylor Swift’s awards speech. But, that isn’t what the people care about. They care about the anti-semitism, the racial comments. Starting in 2020 Kanye was very vocal about his political ideals, and in 2022 he was seen wearing a “white lives matter” shirt and eventually posting the infamous “deathcon 3” tweet. Thus began the “downfall” of Kanye’s public profile, sending him down a path of cut off brand deals, lost friends and even leading to his divorce with Kim Kardashian. “When I first saw all these outbursts I was really worried for him,” Mr. Perry expresses. Kanye’s breakdown and outlandish tweets are all a result of the problems he is dealing with mentally and instead of leaving him alone to sort everything out, the media (the press more specifically) continuously pokes the bear and tries to get Kanye to say something else “crazy” for everyone’s entertainment. They are attempting to paint this villainized picture of him, when he really is just a human who needs help.
Truly a jack of all trades, Kanye West remains one of the most listened to and influential artists today. His reputation doesn’t change the passion and emotion he puts into his music, and it will never change his fan’s love for him and his love for them.
“It’s love for everybody”
– Kanye West.
Danielle Unsworth is a Junior at Washington High School. She grew up in Fremont, California. This is her first year in journalism and she's very excited to be included. She enjoys writing about her opinions as well as arts and current events. In her free time she likes to garden and take care of her plants as well as read books and listen to music. Danielle plans on attending UC Berkeley and becoming a lawyer in the future.