Around The Way with Alexsis

It’s Wednesday morning. My visual communications class is just getting started. Our professor tells us to think of one of our most controversial opinions. I was fresh off of seeing Kanye West and his family on the Yard that weekend. He was the first topic that came to mind, since I had loved him since childhood and remained a fan even as I watched him plummet out of public grace. In my mind, Kanye West is still just as much of a genius as when he first stole the hearts of hearts of music lovers over two decades ago.

Kanye Omari West has had an undeniable impact on the world of music. Recently, West’s 2010 album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” was voted the best of the decade. Many have credited Kanye as the pioneer of the rap scene we see today- a scene with more emotion and vulnerability, more creativity, and more variety.

In the early 2000’s, hip-hop was in the “Bling Era.” 50 Cent was the biggest rap artist at the time. The only rappers who would be taken seriously were those who upheld a tough and gangster persona, spitting rhymes about violence and expensive lifestyles. Kanye West was such an anomaly for obvious reasons. His sound was soulful and unique, his lyrics deep and emotional. He managed to breakthrough the rigid standards and expectations of the era and deliver the masterpiece that was The College Dropout.

Kanye almost immediately skyrocketed into fame as a solo artist, with College Dropout debuting at number two on the Billboard 200. The year after it was released, Kanye won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

Kanye was political. He was opinionated. He was deeply religious, all things that distinguished him from the big names in rap at that time, like 50 Cent, Nas, Ludacris, and T.I. His musical genius allowed him to carve out a new place for himself to fill in the world of rap, one that continues to draw new artists into it to this day.

The impact of this pioneering can still be heard in the discographies of artists like Drake, The Weeknd, and especially Kid Cudi. Cudi only came to fame after his feature of West’s 2008 album 808s and Heartbreak. Drake told MTV in a 2009 interview that Kanye is “the most influential person” on his sound. “Before I ever got the chance to meet him, Kanye West shaped a lot of what I do, as far as music goes,” Drake told MTV News.

Kanye West virtually created a new type of artist when he developed his own style of rap. This allowed he and many others to rise to fame in a genre that was once heavily gate kept by violence, gangsters, and lavish lifestyles. He made is popular for rappers to be vulnerable and put out confessional type music with emotional and personal lyrics.

Another thing that separates Kanye from the other artists that he rose up alongside was his immense creativity. His albums work like movies, with narration, characters, and story arcs that work through the album from the opening track to the last. The music tells a full story, with soulful samples acting as a supportive water for his incredible lyricism and narration to float on. The musical projects follow a three act structure, with each song adding on to plot and furthering characterization.

His descent from public grace began at the MTV Video Music Award in 2009 when he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech. The move was arrogant and rude but not an uncommon energy for him at all. In 2005, Kanye said “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people,” on live television. Throw in his perpetual endorsement of Donald Trump (even though he didn’t actually vote for him, or anyone), his declaration that “slavery was a choice,” and maybe his calm beef with Beyonce and Jay Z and Drake, his marriage to Kim Kardashian, and you have a public enemy, or at best, a coon. Kanye has become a wildly controversial figure in the Black community. His recent visit to Howard University’s homecoming caused an uproar on Black Twitter. He constantly faces heavy online scrutiny from the community.

These controversies have not greatly affected the success of his music though. His most recent album Jesus Is King earned higher numbers than his last album, Ye. Although it got less streams per song, it debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one. His shoe company Yeezy (which he owns 100% of) is slated to bring in $1.5 billion this year.

His impact on music and culture is undeniable. He remains one of the biggest names in music. Forbes voted him the third highest paid entertainer of 2019. His newest project was his ninth album to debut at number one on the Billboard charts. Without Kanye West, rap would not be the way it is today. He has been credited as an inspiration for big names who have been topping the charts for years. Despite the criticisms, Kanye West always uses his mind and his platform to make a lasting impact. He does things that can never be forgotten, and that requires true genius.