The Haute Culture Pop Culture of Ye
“But if we consider the entire extent and depth of the class struggle it is then clear that for the writer the question is not to know whether he takes part or no. The question is to know how and for who he takes part; if he represents the unconscious and more or less perfected plaything of social forces of which he is ignorant, or a conscious factor. ‘Who do you write for?’ means in the first place: ‘Do you know who you write for?’ It next means: ‘Do the social consequences of your writing correspond to the intentions that animate you while writing?’ And for this reason I think that we must maintain and tirelessly repeat the question: ‘Who do you write for?’, we must even respond in the place of those who don’t themselves respond.”- Georges Politzer
Who Does Kanye West write for? Considering the rappers immense popularity and cultural visibility, it’s not an inconsequential question to pose.
A week ago, West released his 8th album, really more of a underdeveloped ep entitled Ye. With its curt production, juvenile lyricism, and extravagantly rustic roll out, his newest project epitomizes the entertainment industry’s pillar ideals of bourgeois sympathy, absolute narcissism, and piggish consumption. Compared to the impeccable work of his earlier LP’s, Ye is an unlistenable selection of miscellaneous chagrin from a disgruntled MAGAite.
Kanye’s abrupt transition into alt-rightism veiled by free-thought liberalism shouldn’t be that surprising. Siding with the reaction is a common political stance of aging rock stars who clearly haven’t read a book in over two decades. The response to West, however, has been a strange mourning. Leftist creatives have descended into sullen debates in efforts to try and rationalize the motivations of Kanye’s conservative turn.
Why? What artistic value and sociopolitical insight is there to gain from desperately trying to rehabilitate the spectacle of Ye?
Kanye is a bourgeois individualist and Ye is the most recent expression of that class position, a few uninspired Life of Pablo b-sides that principally communicate the harrowing dramas of being sad about how rich you are and wanting to cheat on your wife.
Before I get admonished for reducing West’s current ethos by those who still stan him, I don’t think individualist commentaries are fundamentally banal. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Yeezus were both impressively crafted albums, modern classics, that conveyed the grandeur of human personnage. Yes, those LP’s reflected on upper class grievances, but they were not solely the erratic ramblings of a misanthropic celebrity.
Kanye’s past celebrations of his individuality have merit because they are confrontational declarations of selfhood. For example, Yeezus’s “I Am A God” is undeniably the pompous affirmation of a wealthy rapper, but the song also depicts the illustriousness of the human spirit, esteem that presently can only be achieved by those who are freed from the burden of capital. According to Marx, individualism in the capitalist era is merely a front assumed by the wealthy. True individualism, the state of being marginally touched on in Kanye’s earlier discography, can only be obtained via “the connection of individuals…the necessary solidarity of the free development of all.”
I’m not going to proclaim that all artistry should be restricted to detailing the realism of the proletarian experience. The masterpieces of history mainly exalt the overclasses of the world. Just because much of human creativity has been spurred by the patronage of the powerful doesn’t mean these works should be scorned. In the words of Trotsky:
“to which order of feelings does a given artistic work correspond in all its peculiarities? What are the social conditions of these thoughts and feelings? What place do they occupy in the historic development of a society and of a class? Under the influence of what historic impulse have the new complexes of feelings and thoughts broken through the shell which divides them from the sphere of poetic consciousness? The investigation may become complicated, detailed or individualised, but its fundamental idea will be that of the subsidiary role which art plays in the social process.”
The bourgeois individualism of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Ye is related, both are bombastic and conceited sure, but they’re not identical in content and worth. It’s crucial to examine the historical contexts of these albums. MBDTF featured tracks in which Kanye asserted himself in spite of racial hatred and public stigmatization. It’s an important work that, despite West’s fame, mirrored the anger of oppressed black individuals across America. Ye doesn’t capture that willpower. It reminds me of a baby boomer having a temper tantrum in a bistro because their hors d’oeuvre was lukewarm. It’s a collection of music that only someone who owns a fountain could empathize with.
I used to be a “Kanye is a genius” guy. The blogs convinced me and the standout beats reinforced the belief. From 2013 to 2016, West was an idol and major influence on my own music. He was an unabashed rockstar, but unlike Johnny Rotten or Gene Simmons, he actually made good music. Also, he pissed off conservatives. I have to be candid, I really do miss the old Kanye. Attesting to West’s assumed genius seemed to be the punkest thing one could say. In retrospect, I was simply indoctrinated by tastemakers of the online culture industry.
Evaluating art is not politics, but it is political and can advance one’s understanding of socialism. In regards to Kanye, and other wealthy artists, it is important that one does not uncritically accept their presences and output as genius. This takes one back to the original question of “who does Kanye West write for?” In the past, that inquiry would have led to a nuanced answer, a response that would have specified the admirable qualities of West’s perspective and the aspects of his career that required scrutiny. Today, it’s apparent that Kanye is writing only for himself, and maybe the gilded media class that will continue to ruminate on Ye ad nauseum for the next several months.
As I write this, Kanye is prepping the release of another album with Kid Cudi. I don’t plan on giving it any attention. There are hundreds of rappers out there working on music that deserves some listens, artists that are offering significantly more poignant and captivating material. I would suggest focusing on these musicians.
