The Kanye News

Summary

Music critic Anthony Fantano discusses the moral implications of rapper Kanye West's embrace of hateful ideologies and controversial figures. Fantano argues West's pattern of racist speech and promotion of white supremacists makes it impossible to separate his reprehensible views from his art. He also critiques JPEGMAFIA's hypocrisy in denouncing artists with questionable morals while collaborating with West. Fantano contends West is either a sincere racist or cynically courting racism for attention, both of which are deeply troubling.

Takeaways

• 😠 Kanye West's upcoming album releases raise concerns given his recent controversial behavior.
• 😡 Kanye has aligned himself with hateful ideologies like white supremacy and Nazism.
• 😠 Many fans try to justify or dismiss Kanye's words and actions, but he continues to platform hate.
• 😒 Kanye's hateful views are now showing up in his music and art, making it hard to separate art from artist.
• 😠 Kanye drags down and attacks anyone who questions or criticizes him.
• 😕 JPEGMAFIA met with Kanye for the new album, despite previously criticizing such views.
• 😠 JPEGMAFIA seems to ignore the moral implications of working with Kanye.
• 😡 Kanye wears racist Varg Vikernes' band shirt, while Varg happily endorses it for publicity.
• 😕 Kanye is either embracing racism/Nazism or cynically chasing attention. Both are bad.
• 😞 Kanye faces no consequences, and many fans enable his behavior.

Q & A

What albums is Kanye West planning to release?

Kanye West is planning to release a series of albums titled 'Vultures' over the course of February, March and April 2024.

Why is Anthony Fantano skeptical about the albums being released?

Anthony is skeptical because Kanye has a history of announcing albums that never end up being released, and he has had difficulty finishing projects lately.

What controversial views and activities has Kanye aligned himself with recently?

Kanye has endorsed white supremacists, aligned himself with Nazism, and platformed multiple known racists.

How does Anthony counter the arguments that Kanye has apologized or is just trying to spread a message of universal love?

Anthony argues that Kanye's apology means nothing if he continues the same behavior, and that his actual treatment of people who criticize him shows he is not genuinely loving everyone.

Why does Anthony say it's hard to separate Kanye's art from his views?

Because Kanye's controversial views show up in the albums' lyrics, art, and the people he associates with musically.

What does JPEGMAFIA's reaction say about the situation?

Despite JPEGMAFIA having criticized racism and white supremacy in his music, he met and worked with Kanye even though Kanye has aligned with those views.

What was questionable about Freddie Gibbs that JPEGMAFIA called out?

JPEGMAFIA suggested Freddie Gibbs abandoned his baby's mother when she was pregnant with his child.

How did Varg Vikernes, the Burzum musician, react to Kanye wearing his band's shirt?

He welcomed it, seeing it as a chance for more exposure, even though Kanye has aligned with views Varg himself has promoted.

Why does Anthony say it doesn't matter if Kanye is definitively racist or not?

Because either way, Kanye continually uses his platform to promote racists and racism, whether he sincerely believes in it or is just chasing attention.

What effect is Kanye having on his fan base?

Many of his fans are increasingly embracing openly racist views themselves or at least tolerating Kanye's promotion of those views.