Within music, there has always been an overlooked relationship between mental health and creativity and ingenuity. That doesn’t mean that one can’t be creative if he or she isn’t depressed or manic. But sometimes, it does help having an unhinged mind to help fuel your musical drive.
Kanye West is a definitely an artist to whom this applies.
It’s hard to deny this if you consider his history with the public and other musicians, especially the more recent events that have happened. Watching the Kanye from 2004 rap with Common on the music program part of Chappelle’s Show is incredibly jarring when compared to the Kanye that ranted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! recently. He seems calmer and at ease, but he still sticks out, not due to any paranoid ranting, but by how he always wore a Louis Vuitton backpack (it is supposedly what he used to carry around old discs and demos while recording The College Dropout).
Look, it’s hard to argue that Kanye is not a talented producer and rapper. You’d be hard pressed to find another rapper/producer of the 21st century who has stayed popular for so long, while also consistently putting out some of the best material out there (808s & Heartbreak was his biggest hiccup, but his discography, in general, is really strong). While Kanye has always made strong and controversial statements ━ like declaring how much of an artistic and creative genius he was, or his comments about George W. Bush ━ it seemed Kanye was somewhat “in check.” He had his quirks, but Kanye seemed to be able to channel such peculiarities in a way to conduct his art in a relatively healthy manner.
That has definitely changed over time, considering the long list of incidences that have generated controversy for Kanye [insert reference to Taylor Swift incident]. However, the promotion and release of Yeezus marked Kanye’s loss of control. You can have whatever opinions of that album (that’s a whole other conversation, especially concerning his message and experimentation) but don’t deny the fact that he needs help with his mental health.
If you haven’t watched the interview he has with Zane Lowe from BBC radio, you just missed a person going on a delusional and nonsensical rant. While it seems he maintains a calm demeanor, you see his mania creep up over the course of the interview. For starters, he mentions his work on redesigning the water bottle and his attempts at making leather jogging pants. Then he name drops a bunch of other musicians, artists, and designers throughout just to show that he “knows” culture. Meanwhile, he tries to link it all together, referencing civil rights and architecture, and talking about how rap is the new rock ‘n’ roll. I wish I were making this up.
When Jimmy Kimmel made fun of that interview using children to perform lines from the transcript, Kanye responded with a ridiculous tirade on Twitter, verbally ripping Kimmel apart. Frankly, no one would have remembered or cared about that sketch if Kanye hadn’t reacted at all. He’s 36 years old. If he is such an artistic and cultural genius, he shouldn’t be insulting other people in such a lowly manner if they don’t appreciate his “art” or thoughts. You can’t expect people to respect your opinion if you conduct yourself like that, especially if you go around telling people how aware and intelligent you are about sophisticated and abstract ideas. In addition, Kanye then going on Kimmel’s show to yet again go on another paranoia-fueled rant concerning the same nonsense really didn’t help either.
In the end, Kanye needs to get help to manage his emotions and outbursts. The sycophantic attitude people have towards him needs to stop. If you truly supported Kanye, you shouldn’t be encouraging his current behavior. This isn’t someone just being angry about being misunderstood; this is someone who has trouble expressing his frustrations and emotions in a healthy manner.
