However, the target of Hedges' condemnation was not Jackson, but the celebrity- and media-obsessed culture that propped up his fame despite the allegations that followed him – mainly because his music was just that good. "A variety show with a coffin," he called it. When he died in 2009, author Chris Hedges wrote a damning essay in reaction to the pomp surrounding his funeral, which was broadcast on TV and watched by an estimated 31 million viewers. You'll notice today that the King of Pop still gets plenty of airplay. This was and is mainly a matter of following one's moral compass. HBO's release of "Leaving Neverland" in 2019 inspired an avalanche of think pieces by critics, and fans, and critics who were fans, wondering how to intellectually square their love and respect for his culturally foundational body of work with what the artist has been accused of doing. Michael Jackson endured multiple accusations that he sexually abused young boys while he was alive, even paying a multimillion-dollar settlement to one of his accusers. I'd also be lying if I said I never worked it out on the dancefloor to one of his bangers.īut as someone who apprizes great music, who understands how exceptional it is for a Black man to spin his talent into diamonds and platinum, and who has seen how far people will go to excuse the terrible sins of some such men, that explanation completely tracks.Ĭalling to mind another living celebrity people have forgiven as frequently and easily is a challenge, but one deceased one comes to mind immediately. West music doesn't vibrate my spirit that way, and I recognize that saying this as a native Chicagoan is heresy to some people. This is the difference between those who can appreciate West with a degree of separation from the emotions attached to him and the people who once testified that the artist's lyrics and beats spoke to a part of them that may not even have a name or definition. West's faithful are more likely to rhapsodize about the way 2004's "The College Dropout" changed the pattern of their brainwaves. Consult an industry expert, and they'd likely cite 2010's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" as one of the highest achievements in his music catalog, if not his finest work. West has proven his ability to produce incredible art, the type that wins a generation's faith. "I mean, he's made so much great music." Can that truly be all there is? Yes, and emphatically no, of course not. Indeed, I am struggling to remember whether any other living celebrity has received as much forbearance and faith as this man has. No, the reason this piece and the many others about West are worth contemplating is that they help make sense of why it's taken this long for West to become persona non grata in the eyes of most of the public. But then again, I don't believe Owens really believes that stuff either."ĭespite how this looks, I'm not trying to shame another writer for presenting a take that aged like raw fish left out. "Because I still don't believe that he really believes any of that conservative stuff. "Ye's making it harder to keep justifying him but for now, I still do," Touré wrote. That Touré essay was written in 2018 too, beyond the point at which Trump had demonized immigrants and residents of major metropolitan areas, with West's birthplace of Chicago being his favorite scapegoat, and long after the chemical trails behind West's tweet of " I love the way Candace Owens thinks" dissipated. I am struggling to remember whether any other living celebrity has received as much forbearance and faith as this man has. "I mean, he's made so much great music." One imagines West's stans responding to this with, "So say we all." So although seeing West pose with Donald Trump in 2016 hurt the writer, "I gave the brother a pass," Toure said. As Touré explained in an essay for The Daily Beast, he's had to forgive a lot to remain West's fan because "bizarre is normal in Kanye's world." Scroll down further to encounter a few posts and stories in which the authors admit they are not quite done with him, but reaching their limit. Music, is done with him, as is Kid Cudi, Eve, West's ex-wife Kim Kardashian and, one presumes, Pete Davidson. These join the smattering of fan departure announcements posted on Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms, along with reports that Pusha T, formerly the head of West's recording label G.O.O.D. Typing some version of the term "I'm done with Kanye West" into the search engine of your choice yields an array of results that illuminate as much about who we are as they do about him.įirst, we get the usual suspects: links to essays published in major publications in which the author announces they've officially pulled the stop request cord on this bus, ding!
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