"They say I was the abomination of Obama's nation
Well that's a pretty bad way to start the conversation…."
Kanye West, Power
Well there, I just did.
(also, he said it. not me 🤷🏾♀️)
I won't go as far as to call the artist formerly known as Kanye West an "abomination," but I will say this: Ye is the Van Gogh of our generation.
Now, I’m not here to argue or convince you of this because: a) it’s my opinion and b) I don’t argue with people who are broker than me.
Ye is a creative genius and I stand by that. And we all know his ego thinks so, too (he already told us that he probably forgot better shit than u ever thought up…). I also think that if we live in a society in which we accept neuro-divergence, then I don’t think that it’s polite to call people crazy, buuuuuut, ye be on that shyt. Like, what in the fuck was that, Kanye type shyt. I cannot and would not even begin to defend some of the reprehensible train(wrecks) of thought that ye has shared with us – plenty of thought pieces floating around the internet, a simple google search will suffice. Also, proceed with caution.
Yet, I cannot deny the artistry that ye has given to the world. The music, the fashion, the kicks and whatever else he feels inspired to try. Some of his infamous one liners have become culturally iconic moments, both for the absolute audacity of their absurdity and more often for their raw, unfiltered emotion.
George Bush doesn’t care about black people.
One part insightful, 10/10 for soundbites. And in hindsight, a culture shifting moment, indeed.
I say ye is the Van Gogh of our generation because like ye, Van Gogh was a prolific artist, who created over 2,000 artworks during his 10 year career (it’s giving five beats a day for three summers to me); among them one of my favorites, Starry Night. He also was considered by many to be a "red-headed madman" who was convinced that he could also serve God as an artist. Sound vaguely familiar?
The only reason why we don't know more about VanGogh is because he didn’t live during the #socialmedia era. We do have the handwritten letters he exchanged with his biggest supporter and benefactor, his younger brother Theo. And, suffice to say, Vincent was doing the most.
“nooit, neen, nimmer: VanGogh tries to marry his widowed cousin, gets rejected” - this is a true story.
“Vincent moves in with pregnant former prostitute; she gives birth to (his?) son, she later commits suicide” - true story.
“VanGogh severs his ear after fight with friend” - also a true story. (I do not condone violence, self-inflicted or otherwise.)
Could you imagine a twitter-fingers Vincent? It would be a non-stop news cycle on TMZ......
Even worse for VanGogh, he was considered to be a failure during his lifetime, mostly living in poverty off of Theo’s generous financial support. He was a disappointment to his parents. Yet, today he is considered one of the most influential figures in modern art. His works sell for tens of millions of dollars. It’s like Vincent painted his sunflowers, but never received them.
Ye, on the other hand, receives his flowers, but also the dirt that comes with the garden he sows.
Whether it is courage, stupidity or arrogance, ye has fucked around and found out. A LOT. But I'd be a hypocrite to praise the works of VanGogh and not have some grace for ye. Not all great artists are like this. But some are and for those that are, it’s a once in a generation type of person.
So, here’s to the crazy ones….