When Kanye West re-upped his Twitter account this past April, he got right back into his social media antics from the recent past, shooting out seemingly disconnected tweets to announce his return. The majority of Kanye’s initial tweets pertained to the themes he has reverted back to frequently, among them the absence of free thought and a trailblazing attitude in society. Something that Kanye has always been a proponent of is being more than simply a musician, but moreover an icon, a divine figure that others look upon with awe.
On April 19, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Kanye sent out a sequence of tweets that actually pertained to music instead of philosophical jargon; he tweeted that he, Kid Cudi, Teyana Taylor, Pusha T and Nas would all be releasing albums in the early summer. When the time came for these albums to be released, the hip hop community was skeptical about not only the quality of the albums, but whether they would even be released in the first place, simply due to the unpredictability of Kanye.
However, sure enough, when May 25 came around, Pusha T’s album that Kanye announced the month before was released. “Daytona,” Pusha T’s third studio album, executive produced by Kanye, is widely considered to be Pusha T’s best work to date. The clever word play laid over Kanye’s masterful sampling is incredible to listen to. Even though Pusha relies mostly on rapping about selling drugs, the variety in the beats and flows still makes Daytona a great listen.
The second album to be released was Kanye’s solo album, “ye.” Many expected this project to be an explanation for his antics, namely his uncharacteristic support of Donald Trump after being a staunch adversary of the Republican Party and George H.W. Bush in years past, or even his claim of slavery being a choice. While “ye” did not necessarily serve this purpose, it did provide insight into Kanye’s dealings with mental health and fatherhood. As two topics which are often not spoken about candidly in hip hop, his musings on having bipolar disorder and being protective of his daughter proved to be refreshing in a way. Overall, “ye” is undoubtedly an interesting project, and although it is difficult to analyze it outside of the controversy which surrounded its release, it is a unique and important project in hip hop today.
Kanye’s presence brings to the forefront many questions about the role of the artist in engaging in discourse outside of music. Many criticize him for speaking about politics, philosophy and other topics without an extensive background. While he justifies his free expression about anything and everything, he fails to understand that his position as one of the most visible people in the world gives him unprecedented influence. In the future, it will be fascinating and important to see how he uses this influence to bring change to not only music, but also other facets of art and society.
Miki Rae, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at MRae20@wooster.edu.