Kanye West may be many things, but dumb is not one of them, which is why he is such a mean guy
Kanye West is one of today’s musical geniuses.
The former hip-hop producer turned multi-platinum artist has influenced and collaborated with artists Fall out Boy, Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z, Sting, John Mayer, and Janet Jackson. The Chicago native even has time to open a restaurant chain, Fatburger, and create a clothing line called Pastelle. He even brought back tacky male 80s fashions.
Even though West is a super talented and eclectic guy, he is also a huge jerk. Most people would agree that Kanye is a bit on the mean-spirited side; however, I think there is a method to his meanness.
Everyone knows about the Taylor Swift incident during the 2009 MTV’s Video Music Awards (VMAs). But in case you missed it, West abruptly interrupted the country starlet’s acceptance speech for best female video award by taking the microphone out of her hands mid-speech. He then said that Beyonce had a much better video and deserved to win. West left the stage as quickly as he came, leaving the teary-eyed Swift in shambles.
Even though I am a fan of Kanye’s work, and it was kind of funny that he would be that bold, he was really wrong for doing that. Swift deserved her award and Beyonce already has many under her belt. The truth is, West probably does not care about either artist in the best female category; all he really wanted was the attention. After all, he did not win any awards that night. West promptly appeared on the Jay Leno show the following night, not Beyonce or Swift. Very sneaky, Mr. West.
Another occurrence of Kanye’s mean streak was when he called President George W. Bush a racist by spouting the ever famous, “ Bush does not care about black people,” while standing alongside Mike Meyers for a 2005 Hurricane Katrina benefit.
I have to agree with West, that Bush’s poor handling and the Bush family’s lack of interest in helping the bulk of the victims, who were poor minorities, was wrong. However, I would not have been bold enough to say it out loud on live television standing next to Austin Powers.
Sure, the Bush administration could have handled the Katrina aid better, but as unpredictable as the storm’s damage was, so was the huge amount of the aid resources actually needed.
After that incident, Kanye’s album Late Registration catapulted to double platinum success, won West a Grammy and added a few million more Google searches to his fame. Regardless of whether West really thinks that W is a racist, the desired effect came to fruition as all eyes were on Kanye.
Oddly enough, West is a huge philanthropist and an advocate for gay rights. In 2005 during an MTV special appropriately titled “All Eyes on Kanye West,” he professed that he has a gay cousin whom he loves and that rappers should reduce their discrimination against gays. He also likened the civil rights struggles to gay rights. West also opened the Kanye West Foundation in 2003, which aids struggling African-American and Latino grade school children in Chicago.
Many people think that Kanye West is a racist, a chauvinist, and a downright arrogant twit. My pick: Kanye West is an arrogant twit; however, he is not a dumb man. He is painfully aware of how to screw with people’s minds and meticulously shift the attention to himself. Even though he leaves many angry people and bruised egos in his wake, pissing people off is the best way to get attention. After all, there is no such thing as bad press.