Analysis Of 'Kanye West'

I was twelve when I first heard the name “Kanye West”. He was featured in a song I rather liked at the time called “Forever” and whilst discussing the song with my friend one afternoon I remarked:

“I like Kayne (pronounced like citizen Kane) West’s verse as well”

“It’s pronounced ‘Kan-Ye’’ he corrected me with a chuckle. A year later West popped into my life again. I was talking with my aunt about current events, to the extent a thirteen year old can discuss such a thing, and she asked me with a slightly disarming fervor if I was a Kanye West fan.

“No” I remarked innocently.

“I mean I liked that one song he was on but I would hardly call myself a fan” I thought. “He’s prejudiced ya know” warned my aunt

I found out later that week that the man had apparently made a fool out of himself publicly, jumping on stage and drunkenly trying to disarm Taylor Swift of her newly received VMA Award, declaring “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!” At this point the only information I had

I was so interested in the truth that I suspended my assumptions about West as I pursued more information through research, giving me an objective lens. It truly rattled me to have been so wrong in my assumptions, it felt weird to know that because of something I didn’t know, I had believed something. It genuinely shook my self-confidence. I really prided myself on my knowledge of Hip-Hop, I thought I knew all the classic albums, how could I have overlooked this one for so long? So, jolted by this sting of self embarrassment, I searched further, I wanted to know what else I had been oblivious to. It became increasingly clearer to me that there were two completely opposite views about Kanye, the more popular view: he’s a worthless egotistical pop star, who’s created nothing of value, and, as I was shocked to learn over time, the informed view, and the truth, that he was and is one the most influential artists of the 21’st