Yeezus: Truthful Contradiction

Yeezus: Truthful  Contradiction

           

            (Photo courtesy of Stereogum.com)

            In listening to Yeezus, you may be thinking what the hell does Kanye West have to complain about? Being filthy rich? Wifing up Kim Kardashian?  Yet, you have to somewhat respect the fact that Kanye still has the audacity to still stick his middle finger up at the game in which he seems to be such a winner.   

            According to early estimates, Kanye West’s Yeezus has sold over 300K (Examiner.com) in its first week of release.  While there is nothing brand new or overly impressive about this album, it’s definitely worth a listen.  Honestly, I was not a fan of Yeezus at first; however,  I later realized that my dismay was for the wrong reason.  I did not feel like this album was for the fans, but since when is that a prerequisite for a good album? Kanye reminded me that music is about more than making club bangers (although, Yeezus does have a couple). In a day and age where mainstream hip hop seems to be a high school popularity contest (dependent on who gets more “turnt up” at the club), Kanye looks beyond the prom king bid. He’s been there, done that. Instead, Kanye reminds us that being in the cool crowd is not all that it is made up to be.

              Kanye unloads a great deal of frustration on Yeezus.  It seems that the more successful he becomes the more he resents the music industry and corporate America.  Although, the average fan might think that having money and success would be freeing, the way that Kanye tells it, these assets can be just as inhibiting as liberating.  Still, he loves to brag about his fame while simultaneously taking shots at its hypocrisy. 

              Kanye is only stating the fact that his fame comes with a pretty price.  However, it’s not so much of a “poor me” vibe as it is a truthful realization of the contradictions that exist in life.  As Blaise Pascal put it, “contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth”.   You can’t fault Kanye for his honesty (although many do).  No matter how successful he has become in this industry, he has always looked at the world in which he exists with a critical eye.  Kanye is out to prove that although he plays the game he does not let it play him. Do you think the man doth protest too much? Give it a listen and judge for yourself.