“I am Kanye West, and that feels especially great to say this year,” West said in his 2016 MTV Video Music Awards speech on August 28, 2016. Fast forward three months to November 21, 2016, when West is hospitalized for “temporary psychosis,” according to US Weekly.
West’s psychosis began with his wife Kim Kardashian’s robbery scandal in Paris in October of this year. According to Us Weekly, “Seeing Kim close to death did a major number on him. It sent him into a tailspin.” West went off of his medication during this time. In addition to his paranoia with the Kim robbery, West also broke down after the anniversary of his mother’s death on November 20, according to TMZ.
Kanye West is most famously known for his philosophical, lengthy speeches and rants. He has said countless time that he is a “god,” and has compared himself to very influential people such as Picasso, Steve Jobs and Walt Disney.
What happens when a person like Kanye West breaks down?
West begins to lose his persona and his ego. His human side begins to show at his so called “weakest point.” West has made references to his mental illness in many of his songs. On the FML track of the Life of Pablo album, Kanye makes a reference to using Lexapro, an antidepressant which causes manic episodes.
The stigma around mental illness in hip-hop has been a struggling battle. Artists such as Eminem, Kid Cudi, and DMX have opened up about their battle with mental health issues. The perceived view that hip hop is tough and hard is starting to break away with all of the positive messages and tweets sent to West.
Grammy producer 9th Wonder sent a few words of wisdom to West on Twitter advising him to stay strong. Other artists such as Lady Gaga, Chance the Rapper and Teyana Taylor sent their condolences to West.
According to the Huffington Post, writer Jordan Simpson tweeted, “To say that hip hop artists don't talk about mental illness is wack. They do, y'all just don't listen here are some quotes..”
For decades, hip hop has been an outlet for artists to express themselves and share pieces of their lives and their stories. Many artists in the past such as 2pac and Biggie, have used their music to relay their struggle to fame. Struggle is evident in hip hop culture but listeners do not always hear the true meaning behind these lyrics.
Albums such as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and The College Dropout touch on aspects of West’s life such as religion, race and his dislike of the media industry and the price of fame. Within his subliminal lyrics, West tells a lot about his life and his music is layered with emotion.
West fears fame yet thrives on it. Not only does West produce and make music, he also has a demanding fashion line. Known for being a workaholic, West worked himself to exhaustion and to the point of having a mental breakdown. He views himself as the best and his downfall happens when he thinks he is not doing enough.
Some may argue that Ye is one of the greatest artists of our generation and he has inspired and influenced many young musicians. His passion and creativity drive his success and the stigma surrounding mental illness is still a very heavy topic in music.
