i've heard a lot of negative things about kanye west even before this whole VMA debacle though it's hard to deny that what he did the other night wasn't a dick move. Grabbing the mike from a 19 year old winning her first real music award (ironically for what i consider more muzak than music) isn't exactly the noblest of acts. in the very least, he did it on behalf of beyonce although goodness knows beyonce has earned enough accolades that one less ugly trophy won't cause her to lose any sleep at night.
yes, kanye often acts like a jerk. and yes, he speaks his mind a little too often and sometimes what's on his mind is incredibly stupid. but i respect that. i think for the most part what comes off as ego is compensation for a man who has had a difficult life. what little i know about him: i know he grew up in a single parent household, struggled with dropping out of school and the repercussions of that, worked a long time for respect as a producer and respect as a rapper. he has lived through a serious car accident, an intense breakup with his fiance, and the sudden death of his mother. he is a man who seems to struggle with what he has gained through fame and what he has lost.
perhaps it's the deep cut that early exposure to greek tragedies has had on me but i can't help but see the pathos in all of this. at times listening to his music, i can pinpoint the lines that reflect on his own knowledge of his shallowness and the ridiculousness of it all. this is probably me projecting aspects of myself on others but i've always felt akin to mr. west in that sense. i suspect that he knows, like i do, when you're not being a loud shallow asshole than you're just dealing with your own shit.
anyways, i thought i had something meaningful to say about all this but now that i reread this, i realize--not really. in the very least, i'm pretty sure this will be my last rap or pop culture-oriented rant for awhile lest i become the written word equivalent of that weepy, runny eye-linered mess defending brit-brit on youtube.
