Kanye West deserves our respect. After all, he is a Grammy award winning rapper, sought after producer, and thriving fashion designer; he is a multi-talented genius. After much anticipation from fans across the globe, he recently unveiled his seventh studio album called "The Life of Pablo." The debut of his new album took place at a nearly sold out Madison Square Garden, where it was played during the launch of his new fashion collection, Yeezy Season 3. An estimated 20 million people worldwide tuned into this event via live stream hosted by Tidal.
One lyric, however, sparked controversy among several celebrities, along with ordinary people. In the song, “Famous,” West declares that he made Taylor Swift famous, therefore, they are likely to have sex.
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He raps, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I made that b***h famous.” He adds, “For all the girls that got d**k from Kanye West/ if you see ‘em in the streets give ‘em Kanye’s bests/ Why? They mad they ain’t famous’ God d**n/ They mad they’re still nameless.”
Gigi Hadid, Jaime King, and "Orange is the New Black"star, Ruby Rose, shared a common reaction of disapproval towards the lyric. Consequently, Ruby Rose called attention to various occasions over the past few weeks where West has made controversial remarks about women; including slut shaming tweets that he composed about Amber Rose, as well as claims that he made about the innocence of Bill Cosby, an alleged serial rapist.
It is difficult to completely label Kanye West as a misogynist, after all, his music doesn't blatantly display a war against women. However, the suggestive, sexualized, and entitled tone translated through his lyrics certainly do not empower women and promote gender equality. Simply stated, many songs in rap and hip hop culture are suggestive and disrespectful towards women. In general, they send wrong message to young and impressionable listeners, along with completely defeating the equality that women have worked towards for decades.
Kanye has never paid homage to any movement related to the advancement of women in society, but neither have various other artists who are worshipped. Feminism is not about hatred of men and bra burning anymore, it is about acquiring a conscious appreciation, and mutual level of respect for all genders, along with eliminating stereotypes. Instead of singling out one artist, look at the big picture and educate yourself on what society promotes through music and culture on a daily basis. You are a part of society, and you have a say in what is tolerated.
