Following complaints of misrepresentation regarding his support for political messages, Kanye West tweeted on Oct. 30 that he would distance himself from politics and focus on being creative with his music. His tweet came after Candace Owens, a black conservative commentator, used Kanye’s name on “Blexit,” a campaign encouraging the black community to exit from the Democratic party.
“Kanye West has always been a controversial person so this is no surprise,” Kevin Lee (11) said. “I think he should just focus on his music, such as releasing his album Yandhi that he said he would release, but never did. He has been too controversial and has been swept up on events that ultimately do not contribute to the great music he makes.”
While Kanye had referred Owens to a designer, he denied to being directly involved. He claimed he was cited instead of the original designer due to his influence and the designer’s reluctance to be associated with the controversial apparel line. Owens later took full responsibility and apologized to Kanye, saying that Kanye was right to feel used.
“I kind of feel bad for Kanye,” said Jeremy Fischer, English and AP Lang teacher. “While Kanye said this case is not about Donald Trump, it is clear to me that he is also being used for other political messages. Trump is very happy to exploit Kanye and his base to get more support, while Kanye doesn’t seem to realize that in the press conference with Trump there were only old white men who didn’t relate or care about him.”
With his controversial vocal support of Trump, Kanye and his political beliefs has been a subject of confusion for his fans. He took this opportunity to elaborate on his political stance, saying on twitter, “I support creating jobs and opportunities for people who need them the most, I support prison reform, I support common-sense gun laws that will make our world safer… I believe in love and compassion for people seeking asylum and parents who are fighting to protect their children from violence and war.”
“Kanye is completely out of his mind,” David Suh (11) said. “On the surface, it may seem like he is simply trying to garner public attention, but the truth is that Kanye has long since lost his sanity, and now the public are simply trying to provide cover to his hilarious antics.”
Critics, especially members of the black community, commented that Kanye’s seeming instability — from going onstage during Taylor Swift’s awards ceremony to saying “racism was a choice” — is a result of his bipolar disorder that Kanye had previously been diagnosed with. Despite his diagnosis, he had since refused to take his medication citing that he was “super calm” without it. He continually denies that his illness is affecting him negatively, even going as far as to call it a “superpower.” It is still to be seen if Kanye is really committed to staying out of the spotlight.