Too Far Gone

One thing that I’ve always admired about Louis is his humility. Despite extreme wealth and celebrity, he decided to live a “normal” life. Honestly speaking, if I were allotted the same fortune and opportunity as Louis, I may not have chosen to live as modestly as he did. Louis’s characteristics are rare and many celebrities do not remain true to their former selves, prior to fame. A prime example is Kanye West.

Kanye has been in the limelight as of lately for his outlandish gestures. He recently made controversial remarks on a TMZ broadcasting such as, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years…For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.” He also insisted, “You were there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all.”

There is with no doubt that the circumstances African Americans faced were inescapable. Unarmed slaves were held against will, and revolting seemed impossible. However this did not deter select people, including Nat Turner. Turner infamously led a rebellion which resulted in the mass murder of  60 white people over the course of two days. During the brutal bloodbath, Turner freed slaves he encountered along the way. Once word of the rebellion traveled, white southerners mercilessly killed over 120 blacks, many of whom had nothing to do with the revolt. Following the killings, Nat Turner managed to remain in hiding for two months. Upon his capture, he was tried and was sentenced to death. He was hanged and his body was beheaded and quartered while his skin was flayed. Instances like these discouraged blacks in captivity from escaping. Naturally they did not want to face the brutal consequences that went alongside the forced route to freedom. Certainly remaining oppressed was not a choice. There was seldom opportunity and resources for the enslaved, yet they fled when the sparse chance came.

Growing up in the early 2000’s, I was always familiarized with Kanye’s music. I do see him as a musical mastermind, yet it’s disheartening to know that he’s lost himself amidst fame. My favorite song of his is 2004 hit “It All Falls Down.” I feel as if his recent endorsement of Donald Trump and incoherent outbursts contradict the following lyrics:

“We buy our way out of jail, but we can’t buy freedom
We’ll buy a lot of clothes when we don’t really need em
Things we buy to cover up what’s inside
Cause they make us hate ourself and love they wealth”

Based on the lyrics from “It All Falls Down”, Kanye seemed fairly relatable and down to earth regarding African American struggles. As of 2017, a study shows that Kanye’s net worth had increased by $243 million since 2004.  This is a staggering amount, and it is apparent that this large increase in wealth has changed his self perception. I think that Kanye can no longer relate to the hardships he faced prior to his elite social status and financial prosperity.