Ye, aka Kanye West, claims that he’s a lyrical genius with an eye for fashion and art. While many can agree with those statements, thousands and millions of his fans and business partners find it difficult to continue supporting him. Due to the controversial stuff Kanye West said recently, many wonder why Ye still hasn’t officially been “canceled” — but some brands have.

A Timeline of the Crazy Things That Kanye West Has Said and Done

“I’mma let you finish…”

Probably the most infamous thing that Kanye’s done — steal the microphone from Taylor Swift (who was about to share her speech as she won Best Video by a Female Artist in 2009’s MTV Video Music Awards).

Kanye West expressed that he thought Beyoncé should’ve won the VMA award instead; this left Taylor Swift in tears backstage — until Beyoncé requested that Taylor finish her speech when the former won Video of the Year. But this wasn’t the last time Kanye and Taylor feuded. More on that later!

“Slavery (sounds like) a choice.”

Last 2018, when Kanye West visited TMZ’s headquarters, he discussed important matters with radio host Charlamagne Tha God. He talked about his life, family, and mental health. Until he decided to release this statement:

“When you hear about slavery for 400 years…for 400 years? That sounds like a choice.” — but the rapper didn’t stop there. He also added, “You were there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all. It’s like we’re mentally imprisoned.“

Because of Ye’s questionable opinion about slavery and racism, he received backlash. Hence, why he subsequently clarified what he meant. He tweeted, “[T]o make myself clear. Of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will. My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved.“

“I made the b**ch famous.”

Years after Kanye West and Taylor Swift squashed their beef, Ye called up the country singer to ask if she was okay with her name being mentioned in one of the lines in his upcoming song — there was a video recording where Taylor was on loudspeaker giving the go signal to Kanye’s lyrics, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex.”

However, when the song “Famous” was released, Taylor Swift expressed how upset she was about the lyrics; in the other party’s defense, Kanye’s wife (at the time), Kim Kardashian released the said footage where Taylor audibly agreed to the lyrics (albeit Kanye failing to mention the rest of the lyrics referencing Taylor) — this was the beginning of people calling Taylor Swift a snake.

Fast forward years later, the complete video was released and Kanye West sure did NOT mention to Taylor Swift that he was going to call her the B word. As the complete line to the lyrics was “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b**ch famous.”

“Hitler and the Nazis did good things (too).”

This is the most recent controversy that Kanye West is still currently involved in — he dropped antisemitic remarks on The Alex Jones Show. He repeatedly mentioned how he “loves” the Nazi party and Hitler — Kanye said, “The Jewish media has made us feel like the Nazis and Hitler have never offered anything of value to the world.” Despite the host, Alex Jones reminding him of the “bad things” the Third Reich committed, Kanye insisted that “they did good things too.” Naturally, this caused several brands to cut ties with Kanye.

Ye — An Artist or Extremist? Genius or Deranged?

To say that Kanye West is a polarizing public figure may be an understatement. However, Kanye himself spoke about his mental health crisis several times in the past — he had to take anger management classes, be under the care of a physician, and he was open about the fact that he needs to be on medication. This is not to say that those who look up to him should always agree with his extreme and controversial views — and this goes out to everyone else you admire.

Regardless of who you idolize, remember that they’re not as perfect as how you want to view them. At the end of the day, celebrities are also human beings — there’s nothing wrong with disagreeing with your idol’s views, especially if it’s against your beliefs, morals, or religion.

Analysis

Artists have a reputation for being eccentric but when they’re treading on murky and erratic waters, it may be the best time to ask yourself if you’d dive with them along with their beliefs. There are more controversial stuff that Kanye West said and did in the past — so discussing some of these doesn’t even scratch the surface.

Remember, you are your own person and you’re entitled to have your own personal views. There’s no shame in going against the beliefs of someone you idolize if it doesn’t feel right to agree with! Lastly, if these Ye rants sound familiar to you because you know someone who does the same thing, have them looked at by a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

 

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