“Don't forget to love yourself.”
-Søren Kierkegaard
"I refuse to accept other people's ideas of happiness for me. As if there's a 'one size fits all' standard for happiness." -Kanye West
So Let's take a moment, what does Kanye West have to do with a Soren the philospher?
Lets just take glance at Kanye's life through the eyes of Soren:
In many of Soren's writings he mentions how most people deal with mortality by
using the following: Aesthetic ➩ Ethical ➩ Religious
In the following I'll be describing how Kanye embodies his theory...
Aesthetic
⋆ It's no secret Kanye loves flashy items such as clothes, cars, money, and women.
However, has his love for those things decreased with age? When Kanye
first began his career in the mid 90s he was seen as a humble man. It was later in 2004
when he blew up with his song Through the wire that people noticed a change. He
then had his mouth wired shut and sang about how grateful he was to have survived
and how he could only imagine how his family and friends felt when he almost died.
But as he produced songs his only goal was to be famous and break record sales.
Kanye lost his Mother in 2007 and a few months later his fiancé ended their long-term
relationship, and this is what most people would say triggered his new personality.
⋆ In a lot of Kanye's music he discusses materialistic
things, but in interviews he talks bout how wealth
and material items are worthless. It's contradicting,
however, is there a reason why he does this?
In Jay-Z and Kanye's song Ni**as in Paris takes a
step back to remember when people of color were
slaves and treated as if they were beneath the lower
class. They then go to say things like: "What's fifty
grand to a muh'fucka like me, Can you please remind
me?" and "What's Gucci my ni**a? What's Louie my
killa?" This is to suggest that people of color would't know what Gucci was or Louie Vuitton
was. Initially rappers were deemed 'thugs', 'poor', and 'useless'. They wanted to turn the idea
on its head and show how people of color are now in the high society and elite groups.
⋆ Kanye was born into a modest middle class family and from that he has managed to earn
a net worth of $145 Million. Because of the profit earned people feel as though he has lost
himself and that his music will never be the same.In recent times Kanye has seemed to have
transitioned himself from the Aesthetic phase to the Ethical phase.
Ethical
⋆Recently Kanye hasn't been seen sporting flashy items anymore, he wears his own clothes or
outfits given to him by others. Kanye no longer buys something unless he supports it, he's even said..
“I’d see toys that some people would buy for
my daughter and I’d say this toy isn’t quality. I don’t
want my daughter playing with this. There’s not enough love
put into this, this is just manufactured with the will to sell,
and not the will of inspiration."
⋆ Instead of buying flashy clothes now, he's usually wearing inexpensive fashion or his own
designs. In the past few years he's dabbled in his love for fashion and created some of his
own pieces of artwork. Most people are shocked by the prices of his clothes (ex. Shirts costing between $200-$800, or his shoes that are $900+) It's surprising from the diss he made at Gucci
for selling shirts for $5,000.
⋆ So how does this relate to the quote? Well Kanye isn't
mass producing his clothing line-it's limited edition,
it takes hims weeks to design, and the material is great
quality. Kanye has explicitly said multiple times
he wants to eventually lower his prices for his fans,
but how can he compete with mass producing brands
that sell low quality clothes for so cheap?
⋆ Moving onto the West family, Kanye married
Kim Kardashian in 2014 and then had two children.
Some would say he has now softened and Kim has
said multiple times Kanye is a different man then the
one people call "self-absorbed'. Kanye often mentions
how grateful he and how he would find his family
"in any lifetime".
In many of Soren's writings he mentions how most people deal with mortality by
using the following: Aesthetic ➩ Ethical ➩ Religious
In the following I'll be describing how Kanye embodies his theory...
Aesthetic
⋆ It's no secret Kanye loves flashy items such as clothes, cars, money, and women.
However, has his love for those things decreased with age? When Kanye
first began his career in the mid 90s he was seen as a humble man. It was later in 2004
when he blew up with his song Through the wire that people noticed a change. He
then had his mouth wired shut and sang about how grateful he was to have survived
and how he could only imagine how his family and friends felt when he almost died.
But as he produced songs his only goal was to be famous and break record sales.
Kanye lost his Mother in 2007 and a few months later his fiancé ended their long-term
relationship, and this is what most people would say triggered his new personality.
 |
| Kanye drops Graduation in 2007 |
things, but in interviews he talks bout how wealth
and material items are worthless. It's contradicting,
however, is there a reason why he does this?
In Jay-Z and Kanye's song Ni**as in Paris takes a
step back to remember when people of color were
slaves and treated as if they were beneath the lower
class. They then go to say things like: "What's fifty
grand to a muh'fucka like me, Can you please remind
me?" and "What's Gucci my ni**a? What's Louie my
killa?" This is to suggest that people of color would't know what Gucci was or Louie Vuitton
was. Initially rappers were deemed 'thugs', 'poor', and 'useless'. They wanted to turn the idea
on its head and show how people of color are now in the high society and elite groups.
⋆ Kanye was born into a modest middle class family and from that he has managed to earn
a net worth of $145 Million. Because of the profit earned people feel as though he has lost
himself and that his music will never be the same.In recent times Kanye has seemed to have
transitioned himself from the Aesthetic phase to the Ethical phase.
Ethical
⋆Recently Kanye hasn't been seen sporting flashy items anymore, he wears his own clothes or
outfits given to him by others. Kanye no longer buys something unless he supports it, he's even said..
“I’d see toys that some people would buy for
my daughter and I’d say this toy isn’t quality. I don’t
want my daughter playing with this. There’s not enough love
put into this, this is just manufactured with the will to sell,
and not the will of inspiration."
⋆ Instead of buying flashy clothes now, he's usually wearing inexpensive fashion or his own
designs. In the past few years he's dabbled in his love for fashion and created some of his
own pieces of artwork. Most people are shocked by the prices of his clothes (ex. Shirts costing between $200-$800, or his shoes that are $900+) It's surprising from the diss he made at Gucci
for selling shirts for $5,000.
 |
| Fall 2017 Collection |
⋆ So how does this relate to the quote? Well Kanye isn't
mass producing his clothing line-it's limited edition,
it takes hims weeks to design, and the material is great
quality. Kanye has explicitly said multiple times
he wants to eventually lower his prices for his fans,
but how can he compete with mass producing brands
that sell low quality clothes for so cheap?
⋆ Moving onto the West family, Kanye married
Kim Kardashian in 2014 and then had two children.
Some would say he has now softened and Kim has
said multiple times Kanye is a different man then the
one people call "self-absorbed'. Kanye often mentions
how grateful he and how he would find his family
"in any lifetime".
"He really is the most romantic,
sweetest person I've ever met in my
entire life."
-Kim
⋆ Since Kanye started his family, he has been more open to
voicing his opinion on race, class, paparazzi, and other
social issues. Not to say he didn't before hand, but he
has even more in recent times. Ethically Kanye has
softened his image and has opened himself up more
to people.
⋆ In October he canceled his tour because his wife, Kim,
was robbed at gunpoint in Paris. The thieves stole $9
million worth of her jewelry. Some say Kanye was
selfish for canceling but he doesn't regret it all.
This is something a few years ago had it happened,
he would have never canceled his show. He did put
his wife and family before his career.
Religious
⋆ In 2013 he released his album YEEZUS, one
of his most controversial tracks was
I Am A God. It show cased his belief that he
is a God and has a God-like existence.
Is this narcissistic? The title is obviously a
play on words- Jesus turned into Yeezus,
his former nickname was Yeezy.
"I just talked to Jesus/he said,
'What up, Yeezus?'/I said "S***
I'm chilling/trying to stack
these millions'/I know he's the
most high, but I am a close high."
⋆ Is he calling himself a God? Isn't this
blasphemy? The answer to these are
completely opinion based, first we need to
know his opinion. He has said multiple times that he is a type of God, but many argue
he doesn't mean the Christian God, but the metaphorical music God. The 21-time Grammy
award winner praises himself on the fact that he is loved by his music. He has also
mentioned God (in the christian context) often when he discusses being thankful for anything. However, he has stated that he doesn't identify as a christian, He grew up as Pentecostal
christian and has uprooted those beliefs and shys away from the topic.
⋆ In 2006 he was on the cover of Rolling Stone as The Passion of Kanye West. Although he
doesn't like discussing religion with other people he does like singing about it. After his
mother passed away people close to him said his behavior was hopeless and unpredictable.
He was lashing out at paparazzi after he didn't win an award, calling out Taylor Swift, and
his mental break down that lead to his hospitalization. After he married Kim he dropped his album Life of Pablo. Where he also discusses his battle with God.
"I believe in God, but I don't buy into any particular,
specific religion. So maybe I'm nondenominational or
whatever. I don't know what the definition of it is. I just
believe in God. I would never say that it's in Jesus' hands."
-Kanye
Summing it Up
⋆ Kanye is...well he's Kanye. He is
shy, but he lives on a pedestal that's
a stage. He thinks things through,
but he's spontaneous. You could chalk
this up to a man that's afraid to die
and be forgotten. In the Aesthetic
sense, as Soren has suggested,
people tend to use flashy
things to forget the inevitable of
dying and having nothing. After the
has indulged himself he moves onto
the Ethical stage. For Kanye that
was settling down with Kim and having
children. Instead of being self adsorbed
he's forced to take a step back and
think about the world. In doing so he
writes music about injustices in society.
Soren wasn't afraid of dying because
he was a christian, but he did realize
other people would be afraid. Soren
believed that giving into God and
accepting you are his child would relieve you of stress and free you from despair. Is Kanye just saying he's a God because he feels as though his christian God put him down? Sure he may do it to stroke his ego, or could it be it's deeper that?
My comments: https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2017/12/pessimism-10.html?showComment=1513016913617#c952364156434672487
https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2017/12/memes-and-philosophy-installment-1.html?showComment=1513016592148#c5954380225546786083
Word count from above: 1,385
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl-eBz1_MG8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West#1996–2002:_Early_work_and_Roc-A-Fella_Records
http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/11/23/kanye-west-anniversary-mom-death-trigger-hospitalization-donda-west/
http://www.academia.edu/1939180/The_Language_of_Rap_and_Wealth_Jay-z_s_and_Kanye_s_Glorification_of_Materialism
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/2295321/kanye-wests-brother-reveals-rapper-is-terrified-people-are-trying-to-kill-him/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/20/showbiz/music/kanye-west-god-complex-yeezus/index.html
http://www.complex.com/style/2015/10/yeezy-season-will-never-be-affordable
http://www.eonline.com/shows/kardashians/news/509646/kim-kardashian-s-sweetest-quotes-about-fiance-kanye-west
https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/celebrity/reason-kanye-west-compare-god/1853775
sweetest person I've ever met in my
entire life."
-Kim
⋆ Since Kanye started his family, he has been more open to
 |
| The West Family |
social issues. Not to say he didn't before hand, but he
has even more in recent times. Ethically Kanye has
softened his image and has opened himself up more
to people.
⋆ In October he canceled his tour because his wife, Kim,
was robbed at gunpoint in Paris. The thieves stole $9
million worth of her jewelry. Some say Kanye was
selfish for canceling but he doesn't regret it all.
This is something a few years ago had it happened,
he would have never canceled his show. He did put
his wife and family before his career.
Religious⋆ In 2013 he released his album YEEZUS, one
of his most controversial tracks was
I Am A God. It show cased his belief that he
is a God and has a God-like existence.
Is this narcissistic? The title is obviously a
play on words- Jesus turned into Yeezus,
his former nickname was Yeezy.
"I just talked to Jesus/he said,
'What up, Yeezus?'/I said "S***
I'm chilling/trying to stack
these millions'/I know he's the
most high, but I am a close high."
⋆ Is he calling himself a God? Isn't this
blasphemy? The answer to these are
completely opinion based, first we need to
know his opinion. He has said multiple times that he is a type of God, but many argue
he doesn't mean the Christian God, but the metaphorical music God. The 21-time Grammy
award winner praises himself on the fact that he is loved by his music. He has also
mentioned God (in the christian context) often when he discusses being thankful for anything. However, he has stated that he doesn't identify as a christian, He grew up as Pentecostal
christian and has uprooted those beliefs and shys away from the topic.
⋆ In 2006 he was on the cover of Rolling Stone as The Passion of Kanye West. Although he
doesn't like discussing religion with other people he does like singing about it. After his
mother passed away people close to him said his behavior was hopeless and unpredictable.
He was lashing out at paparazzi after he didn't win an award, calling out Taylor Swift, and
his mental break down that lead to his hospitalization. After he married Kim he dropped his album Life of Pablo. Where he also discusses his battle with God.
"I believe in God, but I don't buy into any particular,
specific religion. So maybe I'm nondenominational or
whatever. I don't know what the definition of it is. I just
believe in God. I would never say that it's in Jesus' hands."
-Kanye
Summing it Up
⋆ Kanye is...well he's Kanye. He is
shy, but he lives on a pedestal that's
a stage. He thinks things through,
but he's spontaneous. You could chalk
this up to a man that's afraid to die
and be forgotten. In the Aesthetic
sense, as Soren has suggested,
people tend to use flashy
things to forget the inevitable of
dying and having nothing. After the
has indulged himself he moves onto
the Ethical stage. For Kanye that
was settling down with Kim and having
children. Instead of being self adsorbed
he's forced to take a step back and
think about the world. In doing so he
writes music about injustices in society.
Soren wasn't afraid of dying because
he was a christian, but he did realize
other people would be afraid. Soren
believed that giving into God and
accepting you are his child would relieve you of stress and free you from despair. Is Kanye just saying he's a God because he feels as though his christian God put him down? Sure he may do it to stroke his ego, or could it be it's deeper that?
My comments: https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2017/12/pessimism-10.html?showComment=1513016913617#c952364156434672487
https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2017/12/memes-and-philosophy-installment-1.html?showComment=1513016592148#c5954380225546786083
Word count from above: 1,385
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl-eBz1_MG8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West#1996–2002:_Early_work_and_Roc-A-Fella_Records
http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/11/23/kanye-west-anniversary-mom-death-trigger-hospitalization-donda-west/
http://www.academia.edu/1939180/The_Language_of_Rap_and_Wealth_Jay-z_s_and_Kanye_s_Glorification_of_Materialism
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/2295321/kanye-wests-brother-reveals-rapper-is-terrified-people-are-trying-to-kill-him/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/20/showbiz/music/kanye-west-god-complex-yeezus/index.html
http://www.complex.com/style/2015/10/yeezy-season-will-never-be-affordable
http://www.eonline.com/shows/kardashians/news/509646/kim-kardashian-s-sweetest-quotes-about-fiance-kanye-west
https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/celebrity/reason-kanye-west-compare-god/1853775
The Melancholy Dane and Yeezus, birds of a feather? I don't quite see it. The latter is a celebrity egoist, mostly concerned - it appears - with how others see him. Image, notoriety, wealth, and brand don't appear to have been important to Kierkegaard at all. But admittedly I've not devoted much time or seriousness to the notion of Kanye Studies. I'll leave that to others.
ReplyDelete