Imagine you match with a girl on Tinder, and you guys talk for a few days. Things are going well; you start really getting to know each other. You ask her about her taste in music. BIG MISTAKE. First, you can’t unlearn that her favorite album is something stupid by Fleetwood Mac. The mistake comes when you tell her one of your GOAT albums is, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. She blocks you immediately. That happened to me two weeks ago, right about the same time Kanye debuted his “White Lives Matter” shirt.

Kanye West is a polarizing figure, perhaps the most right now. My love for Kanye goes back to middle school; it all started with MBDTF. “All of the Lights” was on the NBA 2K14 soundtrack, which changed my life. I will always stan Kanye. Kanye has, in my opinion, the best collection of work. His ability to tell a story through his rhymes is genuinely incredible. Ask Roddy Rich, and he’ll make sure you know MBDTF is the greatest album of all time. The problem with listening to Kanye is that he is bound 2 do something stupid. That is what most people don’t realize is that this is not a new Kanye. Kanye’s been doing this his entire career. My man was wearing confederate flags on his clothing ten years ago. Why are we now looking to “cancel him”? Where and when was the line drawn?

As a fan, I was always there to defend Kanye. I’d say, “Oh, you took his ideas on slavery out of context.” I wasn’t justifying it because I knew he was right; I was justifying it because I knew he was wrong. I needed to explain to myself that it was okay that I listened to Kanye West because that is what we are asked to do today. We have built a culture where we cannot have disagreements. Has Kanye done some vile things? Yes, absolutely! Does that take away from his ability as a musician? That’s what I can’t seem to wrap my head around. We are quick to ostracize and see things as this vs. that, black vs. white. Can/should Kanye West, the musician, be separated from Kanye West, the person? I don’t have the answer, but I believe they can be. Would we listen to music at all or do anything if the two cannot be separated?

If we are going to ignore one’s accomplishments because of what they’ve done, then we must do it for every person. We cannot pick and choose who we are going to do this too? Morgan Wallen is still the biggest name in country music, Ezra Miller is still the Flash, and Dolce and Gabbana is still one of the biggest brands in fashion! Why can what they did be forgiven and more like forgotten, but we cannot ignore what Kanye has done? Kanye might not be better, but he certainly is not worse. Yes, he’s gone on racist rants, pushed morally questionable agendas, and isolated himself. Yet, none of these outbursts have affected his creativity.

Ultimately, that is where I believe the line must be drawn. None of Kanye’s music and lyrics use any racist or stereotypical tendencies. He is not using his creative abilities to share these ideas. If his catalog was full of songs featuring racist views, then I would agree that we shouldn’t listen to his music. Much of his music is about his struggles and has inspired many. Take his 2018 album, “Ye.” The album cover states, “I Hate Being Bipolar, That’s Awesome,” The entire album is about his struggles with Bipolar. He was one of the first rappers to share his emotion; he was extremely influential to Lil Uzi and Juice WRLD. The meaning of his music is much different than anything he says in the media.

I will never argue that Kanye hasn’t done some nasty things. I can’t agree with his political stances; we are very different people. I recognize his immorality and the hurt he has caused, but I also understand the context around his controversy. Paranoia and manic episodes are the two most prominent symptoms of bipolar disorder. That’s not an excuse, but it also cannot be ignored. I am going to continue to listen to his music.

Daniel Radcliffe wrote a blog post slamming JK Rowling while still highlighting the importance of Harry Potter. He hopes “… You don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you.” However, he knows that it is a decision that has to be made by each individual. That is the bottom line. You may believe it is wrong to listen to Kanye’s music because of his actions. That’s fine; you are entitled to your opinion. But please don’t judge me because I believe it is okay to listen to his music. Just like Kanye, the artist can be different from Kanye, the person, my opinion can be different from yours.

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