I Miss The Old Kanye
The world is a mess right now and like many others, I have found several ways to cope. These days, you will likely find me at home drinking a glass of wine and singing along to '90s R&B music. Basically anything to take my mind off of the breaking news that plagues us each day.
On one particular evening, a Kanye West classic "All Falls Down" came on my Google Home that sent me spiraling down a Ye' worm hole. In that moment, I forgot that he had sold his soul to the Kardashian Klan and used to be a powerful voice in the music industry.
I remember the first time I heard Kanye rap and that was his first single "Through The Wire" off his debut album "The College Dropout." My sister was in college then and I kept asking her who this guy was who sounded like he had a mouth full of cotton. We finally figured out it was this guy named Kanye West, a Chicago native who was responsible for producing some of Jay-Z's biggest hits. It didn't stop there either. Mr. West started popping up in videos with Keyshia Cole, Twista, Brandy, and Common.
Even with those hits, he didn't have me completely sold until he released "All Falls Down." His ability to connect with the average college student—scared and unsure about what the future held— along with being a black man in America is what we needed at the time. The Bush administration was in a downward spiral, 9/11 had just occurred, and no one was prepared for what Hurricane Katrina was going to bring. Kayne became a loud voice and he used his music to do it.
There were several moments that Kanye showed us how unbothered he was. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and black people were left abandoned by their government, white celebrities did their usual telethon to pretend that they cared. Kanye wasn't playing that game. He stood his black ass right next to Michael Myers and uttered these words that would go down in history as forever unbothered Kanye:
He shook that table and never apologized for it either. The hero we needed in that moment. Who can forget his infamous interruption of Taylor "The White Walker" Swift when she won an award that was clearly meant for Beyoncé. Yes, it was Beyoncé's award and it was stolen from her.
In both cases, he wasn't wrong. He just said what everyone was thinking but was too scared to speak out loud. It also didn't hurt that he was still putting out G.O.O.D. Music.
Sometimes good things must come to an end and Kanye started veering off the path. After losing his mom, it was clear that he was lost and in search of something to fill the void. His public breakup with Amber Rose and his marriage into the Kardashian-Jenner cult only propelled his already inflated ego. It wasn't long before his crazy, outrageous outbursts that we used to adore became something that annoyed us. He strayed away from the Jay-Z and Beyoncé family unit and started dying his hair blond (Like WTF Kanye???).
I pray for Kanye on occasion. Hoping that he sees the light and comes back home because what he's doing now ain't it. I care because I know how talented he is (we all know his last album wasn't bad) and the impact he has made on the music industry. Maybe Donda West will visit him in his dreams and guide him in the right direction. Bring back the book bags, the shades, and the music we all love. Not this self serving, ego driven, maniac that he is now. Come back home, Kanye. We miss you.
