Is Kanye West still a respected musician in hip-hop?
Kanye West was one of the most powerful black musicians for over 15 years, and many would argue that he even surpassed his mentor, Jay-Z. However, in recent years, he has become a liability. Many attribute it to a mental breakdown that began when the emcee and producer was married to Kim Kardashian. Still, many see it as West showing his true colours after years of hiding.
Irrespective of how it began, Kanye West’s relationship with hip-hop culture and fans has changed. Many cite his support of Donald Trump in 2016 as the turning point. From there, things continued to get worse, and with each stunt, people grew increasingly frustrated at how he behaved.
Many people in hip-hop culture, whether they’re radio hosts, podcasters, or YouTubers have their own opinions about Kanye West. But his story is unlike that of any other hip-hop artist. His Twitter outbursts and public rudeness were once shocking, seen as bizarre and out of character for someone in his position. Now, with every new rant and headline, his behaviour feels less surprising and, increasingly, less interesting.
Furthermore, many have noted a direct correlation between his withdrawal from the music industry and the quality of his music. West’s reputation as a high-quality hip-hop musician has been severely damaged since his 2018 collaboration with Lil’ Pump (a gimmick rapper), and the track itself saw Kanye part with the idea of being a serious artist.
As a producer, artist, and person, Kanye is often divided into two people: “Old Kanye” and “New Kanye,” with the former’s last release being The Life Of Pablo. West’s 2016 endorsement of Donald Trump shocked the rap world, as nobody expected West, as a black American, to endorse a Republican candidate. Furthermore, nobody expected the rapper to venture into politics.
When Kanye endorsed Donald Trump for the presidency, many hated him. Still, the tide really turned after he did a TMZ interview during which he proclaimed that “slavery was a choice” and embarked on a rant about “free-thinking.” Following this, the culture steadily dismissed his words and much of his music. He then had a religious stint during which he released Jesus Is King.
Statistics show that this is when people stopped caring about West’s music and antics. As a musician and a celebrity, it is natural that as you age, you become less relevant, as evidenced by Jay-Z’s career. However, in 2016, it seemed that people would be interested in Kanye for years to come.
As a musician, many no longer respect Kanye and don’t pay attention to anything he does as he is too removed from the industry. He no longer collaborates with top-level, relevant artists due to his reputation, and, as such, he no longer has the ability to pull in listeners. Furthermore, he has no marketing team behind him, just his posts on X (formerly Twitter).
Most people only see his name when it’s attached to a negative headline, and for many, whatever it is becomes just another Kanye story. Very few people care about what is actually in the story now. The same can be said for his music. His projects are no longer seen as exciting, groundbreaking pieces of art but simply bits of music over which he will mostly rant about things he has already spoken about online.
The issue of respect is complex and nuanced. However, people still appreciate Kanye West for what he provided to culture from 2004 until 2016, but beyond that, there is no respect for the current rendition of Ye and with all of his endorsements gone and his reputation in the toilet, it is unlikely we will ever see him back in the position he was once in.