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THE CULTURAL IMPACT OF KANYE WEST This page intentionally left blank The Cultural Impact of Kanye West Edited by Julius Bailey THE CULTURAL IMPACT OF KANYE WEST Copyright © Julius Bailey, 2014. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-39581-8 All rights reserved. First published in 2014 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-48439-3 ISBN 978-1-137-39582-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9781137395825 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The cultural impact of Kanye West / edited by Julius Bailey. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. West, Kanye—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Rap (Music)— History and criticism. 3. Rap musicians—United States. I. Bailey, Julius, editor of compilation. ML420.W452C85 2014 782.421649092—dc23 2013036142 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: March 2014 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To all those whose complexities are misunderstood and rendered pathological when all you ever need and want is appreciation. Also to a few of the loves of my life: Heather, Sandra, Bianca, Antoinette, and Hip-Hop This page intentionally left blank Contents Foreword xi Davey D Preface: The Cultural Impact of Kanye West A Preface to the Anthology by Julius Bailey xvii Acknowledgments xxix Part I Revisiting the Pharmakon: Artistic Gifts / Human Complexities Chapter 1 Now I Ain’t Saying He’s a Crate Digger: Kanye West, “Community Theaters” and the Soul Archive 3 Mark Anthony Neal Chapter 2 Kanye West: Asterisk Genius? 13 Akil Houston Chapter 3 Afrofuturism: The Digital Turn and the Visual Art of Kanye West 29 Reynaldo Anderson and John Jennings Chapter 4 You Got Kanyed: Seen but Not Heard 45 David J. Leonard Chapter 5 An Examination of Kanye West’s Higher Education Trilogy 65 Heidi R. Lewis viii CONTENTS Part II Unpacking Hetero-normativity and Complicating Race and Gender Chapter 6 “By Any Means Necessary”: Kanye West and the Hypermasculine Construct 81 Sha’Dawn Battle Chapter 7 Kanye West’s Sonic [Hip-hop] Cosmopolitanism 97 Regina N. Bradley Chapter 8 “Hard to Get Straight”: Kanye West, Masculine Anxiety, Dis-identification 109 Tim’m West Chapter 9 You Can’t Stand the Nigger I See!: Kanye West’s Analysis of Anti-Black Death 127 Tommy Curry Part III Theorizing the Aesthetic, the Political, and the Existential Chapter 10 When Apollo and Dionysus Clash: A Nietzschean Perspective on the Work of Kanye West 149 Julius Bailey Chapter 11 God of the New Slaves or Slave to the Ideas of Religion and God? 167 Monica R. Miller Chapter 12 Trimalchio from Chicago: Flashing Lights and The Great Kanye in West Egg 181 A. D. Carson Chapter 13 Confidently (Non)cognizant of Neoliberalism: Kanye West and the Interruption of Taylor Swift 195 Nicholas D. Krebs CONTENTS ix Chapter 14 Kanye Omari West: Visions of Modernity 209 Dawn Boeck References 229 Notes on Contributors 245 Index 249 This page intentionally left blank Foreword Davey D As a contributor to Julius Bailey’s inaugural book, Jay Z Essays on Hip Hop’s Philosopher King, I’m proud to return and pen the opening verse on this sophomore project, which focuses on Kanye West. As was the case with the Jay-Z project, Bailey has done an excellent job compiling an array of scholars, teachers, artists, and practitioners who will help the reader navigate and dive deeply (and at times philosophi- cally) into some of the most intriguing questions surrounding the enigma that is Kanye West. The year 2013, at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, marks 40 years since hip-hop’s birth. And it’s important that we study the music and culture of hip-hop, especially because it’s the most popular music form in the country and perhaps the world. With respect to Kanye West, hate him or love him, it’s critical we study this controversial Chicago native, who, with 21 Grammys under his belt, has more than made his mark as a producer, song writer, rap artist, film maker, and clothing designer. In a society that is seem- ingly all about celebrity worship and reality TV, Kanye West, like his mentor and label boss Jay Z, has come to understand that at the end of the day it’s not only his artistic work that’s a business but also Kanye West as a personality. Hence he underscores Jay Z’s famous businessman mantra. Kanye with his outspoken, cocky, brazen persona has estab- lished himself as the ultimate marketing tool. With each rant and over-the-top antic, like him bum-rushing the stage to interrupt coun- try star Taylor Swift just before she receives an award or him scuffling with meddlesome paparazzi as he walks hand in hand with fiancé and reality TV star Kim Kardashian or him wearing a skirt (kilt) while performing or his latest antic to sell confederate flags to fans, the Kanye West that I met is well aware of the value of kicking up dust. The result of Kanye’s dust-raising is that people talk about Kanye. He is hunted down by a ravenous media who chronicle his every move xii FOREWORD and attempt to capture tidbits of his “private” life and splash it across the tabloids. Kanye’s dust-raising keeps him relevant at a date and time when the currency for success is not so much about talent as it is about the length of time people keep your name on their lips. I interviewed Kanye’s longtime writing partner and childhood friend, Rhymefest, for this project and he described him best when he said that Kanye West is “living art.” He is “living art” who is constantly creating and evolving within a society that is constantly watching, gathering information, and scrutinizing his and other Black artists’ every move. Rhymefest suggested that Kanye is oper- ating within the confines of a music industry that aggressively mir- rors a society that is increasingly hell-bent on (de)magnetizing Black artists from the community and ultimately making them disposable. “The one thing that is most feared by governments is people coming together.” Rhymefest asserted It’s a stark reality that Kanye is fighting and the industry is resist- ing. “These artists are fighting the system and the system is bucking back,” Rhymefest noted, “They’re fighting back through how they are presenting their art, and through fighting the corporate system. So what is the system doing? It’s turning to younger artists now, and trying to manipulate them, with the last bit of money that it has.” Rhymefest added. The endgame is to separate artists from the community just as they are wising up to the game and replace them with younger, less informed individuals who will play to the last vestiges of influence the industry can exert. Kanye, who is constantly expressing himself and marketing himself in ways that many would consider outside the box, has done good to keep himself relevant while simultaneously still struggling with the sudden loss of his beloved mother Donda two years ago who grounded him and counseled him. “Kanye may be making a lot of noise, but he is still trying to find his voice” (Rhymefest). During our conversation, Rhymefest spoke at length about what factors influence Kanye’s music and how that gets manifested. You can’t study Kanye without studying the history, politics, gangs, social structure and of course the music legacy of Chicago; from the Blues to Curtis Mayfield, and the Impressions, all have informed the music and sound that Kanye is best known for. Chicago is a down south city set in a metropolis resulting in the music having a “bluesy” feel. What Rhymefest and Kanye and other Chi-Town artists do is create music that pierces the consciousness and makes you think. He described Kanye’s music as blue-collar-black-American-music that is accented by his willingness to be vulnerable and honest (Rhymefest). FOREWORD xiii Chicago is the birthplace of House music and Rhymefest explained that the culture around House inspired Kanye to be open and exper- imental with his music. It influenced his style of dress and it also taught him the importance of being accepting of folks who roll a different way. Kanye has been outspoken (and vulnerable) on contro- versial topics such as homophobia. The House music scene of Chicago has opened him up. The gangs and rough-and-tumble politics that have made Chicago legendary also taught Kanye the importance of affiliation, order, and authorization. Rhymefest explained that in Chicago, folks “roll” in cliques and that affiliation is tremendously important as is loyalty to your clique. The folks that Kanye grew up with are still the same ones in his clique 20 years later. In studying Kanye and his music, it’s important to note that a song is never just a song, and especially when it comes from oppressed communities where music is such an important expression, it is a tool for healing and a tool of communication; one that connects genera- tions.

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