To Yeezus Christ We PREY

“We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
--Used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech  (Thinexist.com)

And yes, I meant to use the word “prey” as opposed to “pray”. This is because the public has no qualms in criticizing Kanye West for his self proclaimed love and god- like behavior. Undoubtedly, he can be a bit animated, yet it is not ok how he automatically dismissed, when he can have some relevant things to add or contribute to society. As Catherine informed us in class, he was laughed at about his idea of leather jogging pants by Fendi designers, yet they ended up producing them and was successful. Therefore in a way despite his relevant thoughts he will always be preyed upon like a bald eagle stalking its prey, as a source of degradation and ridicule.

I really was pleased with the article we had to read about Kane West from Gawker, “Kanye West Knows You Think He Sounded Nuts on Kimmel.” It gave me a new perspective on how I think about him, as well as reinforce my thoughts and beliefs on self love. On that same note, I will not deny I find some of his actions and behavior erratic and he does come off as an asshole. Yet, is that not the whole basis and beauty of being human? Most of us are complex and have great accolades and sometimes dark moments.

This made me reflect to the days of looking at old footage of Muhammad Ali with my dad. I absolutely loved to watch his antics and hear him boast about being “The Greatest.” Most people loved Ali’s showmanship in the ring as much as outside the ring. Rarely people complain or condemned Ali, as a matter of fact they encouraged and agreed. Now, I know West and Ali are from a different time, has totally different personalities. Yet we condemn West for his “cockiness” and praise Ali and others like him for their “confidence.”

I ran across this video, when looking for some text to compare Ali and West, which inspired the quote at the opening of my post. It had some great points:

So what do you think about the points made in this video? Is West more liberated and real because he does not display self modesty? Does Kanye make a valid point with his statement about classicism and how he may be accepted more easily if he degraded himself such as calling himself a nigger? Do you agree with one of the host that he is deep down inside really insure? Yet I would argue he is aware of this as well. In his 2003 rap “It all Falls Down” his lyric states “We all self- conscious, I am just the first to admit it.”

Is it that West is too much of a complex person we cannot accept him? Is it just justifiable to dismiss him as crazy and an asshole because ultimately he portrays himself that way? So is it ok to Yeezus we “prey”? Let’s discuss.