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Perspectives: Kanye West

Kanye West can suck it: Jasmine Aguilera

Before there was presidential candidate Donald Trump, there was Kanye West. Kanye West is the embodiment of everything wrong with society. And worse, millions of people fund his narcissism, misogyny and twisted messiah complex. 

I’m not a Taylor Swift fan, but no one gets to write lyrics like, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous,” and call it art. Fans who dismiss those lyrics as a “misinterpretation,” are only excusing Kanye’s misogynistic attitude—an attitude that continuously goes unpunished and adds to a cycle of violence that women have to bear the brunt of.

Seven out of the nine songs on Kanye’s latest album, “The Life of Pablo,” have lines that demean women in ways that should no longer be tolerated.

“Wait a second, everybody here, I’m the ghetto Oprah

You know what that mean? You get a fur! You get a fur!

You get a jet! You get a jet! Big booty bitch for you! Woo!” — “Freestyle 4”

“For all the girls that got dick from Kanye West

If you see ‘em in the streets give ‘em Kanye’s bests

Why? They mad they ain’t famous.” — “Famous”

“I bet me and Ray J would be friends

If we ain’t love the same bitch

Yeah, he might have hit it first

Only problem is I’m rich.” — “Highlights”

“Whip that, bitch out

Tits out, oh shit

My dick out, can she suck it right now?

Fuck, can she fuck right now?” — “Feedback”

“I been waiting for a minute

For my, lady

So I can’t jeopardize that for one of these hoes.” — “FML”

“I love her, I want her

I’m tryna fuck her

I feel it.” — “Fade”

“I had a cousin that stole my laptop that I was fuckin’ bitches on.” — “Real Friends”

I had to list every song in the album that made me sick to my stomach—song lyrics that people excuse as an exploration of deeper thought.

But just like politicians, it’s important to hold public figures like Kanye West accountable for words that paint women out as hoes, bitches, gold diggers, property to purchase, trophies to wear and temptresses that make it so hard to be faithful to your wife.

Kanye’s so-called artistic exploration is nothing but a string of words that further allow men to refer to women in antiquated and insulting ways, and his so-called art is an insult to other modern musicians whose genuine talent is overshadowed by his ridiculousness.

Kanye, I apologize on behalf of women for making your life so difficult. It’s a miracle you’ve managed to stay so humble in light of so many vaginas getting thrown your way, trying to take your money and all.

Jasmine Aguilera may be reached at [email protected].

I love Kanye like Kanye loves Kanye: Adrian Broaddus

Producer, rapper, father, husband, businessman, fashion expert and self-proclaimed genius; the list goes on and on for the 38 year old from Atlanta, Georgia. After Kanye West released his seventh studio album, “The Life of Pablo,” so much unnecessary hatred has risen towards Yeezy.

Yes, indeed Kanye is crazy; even he knows he is ­­­—as he says on his track “Freestyle 4,” “Name one genius that ain’t crazy.” It is true, look geniuses from the past and present —Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg­­—they have all shown hints of insanity. The difference is when Kanye speaks against a famous celebrity, like Taylor Swift, or says an offensive line, he is deemed a monster.

In reality, he is not. He is unapologetically honest in his lyrics. The same way Quentin Tarantino is unapologetically vivid through his films. The same way Georgia O’Keeffe unapologetically displayed resemblances of female genitalia through her art in the 20th Century. The same way Michael Jackson unapologetically danced in a risqué fashion.

Instead of hating certain lines that can be offensive, listen deeper into the insightful lyrics, undeniable passion and brilliant production.

In fact, there is more hate coming Kanye’s way than he is spreading to others. Yes, he is a douchebag. Yes, he does have obvious anger issues. But to criticize his entire artistry based on his personality is completely ridiculous.

“The Life of Pablo” illustrates in a schizophrenic manner about how Kanye has many different personalities and feelings, which can be described as raw, erratic and honest. He relates to many different Pablo’s in history ­—Escobar, Picasso, Neruda and Saint Paul. Yeezy often feels like a rich monster, how the public perceived Pablo Escobar. His level of artistic ability can be related to Picasso. Yeezy’s lyrical poetry and passion for political problems can be paralleled to those of Pablo Neruda’s. The most notable reference to Pablo is of Saint Paul. Although Saint Paul discredited all ideologies of God, he changed his ways due to an encounter with Jesus, and furthermore became one of the most important messengers in biblical time. Kanye is not insane when he finds similarities between all four; nonetheless, he is correct.

I’m not saying I would hang out with Kanye or that he is necessarily a good person. However, given his background, all he has accomplishments and his huge dreams, I have to undoubtedly respect and praise his work. Love him or hate him, he still holds 21 Grammys in total-and continues to record confirmed chart classics, as showcased in his song “Highlights.”

Kanye has faced and overcome oppression in the past. He was forced to reform after embarrassingly upstaging the innocent Taylor Swift at the VMA’s. He dealt with his mother’s passing and a break up with Amber Rose. Nike did not give him any sort of free reign in designing shoes, despite his sneakers being amongst those of the highest demand.

Yet, he bounced back with a prominent fashion tie with Adidas, settled down with Kim Kardashian and released a soon-to-be Grammy winning album, “T.L.O.P.”.

Adrian Broaddus may be reached at [email protected].

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About the Contributors
Jasmine Aguilera, Editor-in-chief
Jasmine is a senior multimedia journalism major with a minor in anthropology. She began practicing journalism as a high school student when she joined the Tejano Tribune, El Paso Community College’s student newspaper. During her senior year she became the first ever high school student to become editor-in-chief of the Tribune. She moved on to join The Prospector team in the fall of 2011. Jasmine has covered national politics, immigration, poverty, human trafficking, refugees and more in her time holding various editorial positions at The Prospector and as an intern reporter at the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire and Gannett News Service, both in Washington, D.C. She aspires to become an international reporter and tell stories that do not receive the attention they deserve. Until then, she spends her time following the news and guiding a very talented team in reporting for a student audience and the El Paso community. She also enjoys a good book, art, music and the occasional Netflix binge (House of Cards and Breaking Bad remain her favorite).
Adrian Broaddus, Sports Editor
Adrian Broaddus is the sports editor for The Prospector. He is a junior multimedia journalism major with a minor in political science.   Adrian was born and raised in El Paso, TX, and is a graduate of Franklin high school. He entered college in the fall of 2015 in hopes to better his career in journalism.   Along with sports, Adrian enjoys writing music reviews, perspective columns and news stories on politics.   Although he is pursuing his degree in journalism, Adrian would like to go to law school and be an attorney while doing part-time work in journalism.  
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    Lord GayFeb 19, 2016 at 12:55 PM

    This is shit.

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Perspectives: Kanye West