I don't know what's worse. Grieving a break up that ended right before Something In The Water 2022– It's always something happening before Something in The Water (ref. Va Beach 2019). Or, having to accept that your most adored, #1 rapper, who goes by redacted, has entirely spoken maliciously against the values you stand for. I'm going with the latter because right now, It's a struggle watching the demise and the unraveling of trashy human nature that Kanye West has given all of us. I'm a believer. Any Black man the Kardashians touch ends up being a nut case.
Except for Ray J.
Before we get into the thick of it, it isn't right to acknowledge that my last contribution to my website was back in 2020, so here is the acknowledgment. Hey everyone! It's ya girl Raven back at it again! It has been a whirlwind of events; life was lifing, houses were burning, and seasons changed. Several seasons have changed, actually, and as my guy MorMor said in his latest song, 'As the river flows on constantly, time will never wait as seasons change.'
All in all, it's safe to say that I have an outstanding grip on life's horns, so it was only fitting to return to my beloved BLQ Vision. Now, I'll hold myself accountable to dedicate more time to contribute to my platform but baby steps.
Back to Kanye. During the period of my life, lifing, I got my first tattoo on a trip to NYC. The decision to get the tattoo I have now came with long days and nights of reflection. Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew my first tattoo would be Kanye-inspired, but that could be so many things. Now, I mentioned in the previous paragraph that houses were burning; well, I didn't mean Isaiah Rashad's album "The House is Burning," but, ironically, the album came out during the same time as my incident. My apartment in VA burned down a month before the trip, so May 2021. I lost everything (see photos below). I lost clothes and shoes that were one-of-a-kind items from college. Documents, memories, equipment, pictures, you name it, it was a total loss. I drove back to MD after hours of watching my first apartment burn down, on two hours of sleep, in a car with no AC, hauling a suitcase and my dog Apollo. Despite everything left behind, I am thankful to have had a home to return to.
That experience gave me the bright idea to get "To the limit, to the wall" tattooed on my wrist. For those who don't, "To the limit, to the wall" is a line from "Through the Wire" and also "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan that describes most of my life. That song has so much meaning in the artist's life and mine. So it was only fitting to get that tattooed on me... Wrong. The moment my cousin, her significant other, my former partner, and I walked up to Times Square Tattoo; I changed my mind. Typical Gemini behavior. I decided to get G.O.O.D. on my wrist to symbolize every piece of impactful work of art the old Kanye made under Getting Out Our Dreams.
Fast forward to today. No, I'm not hesitant to share the meaning behind my tattoo, but damn, Ye, you made it hard for me. Do I have to look into getting a cover-up tattoo?
Wake Up, Mr. West
J.Cole made a song, "Let Nas Down," and in that song, he makes a poignant statement, "Long live the idols, May they never be your rivals." That one line has been playing over and over and over in my head. Why? Because personally, my favorite rapper since I was about 9 or 10 has now become my rival. Granted, I don't know this man from Adam. Still, I'm disappointed to see Ye tarnish his legacy, credibility, and overall place in many others' lives due to his spontaneous and dangerous decisions.
Did you ever think the "George Bush doesn't like Black people" guy would start spewing anti-Semitic hate speech? Attempt to erase a whole movement that, despite its shady financial practices, still created an on-the-ground campaign for Black people to be seen without having to make another space for others. Or, straight up disrespects the dead by spreading misinformation about the cause of death that took the life of George Floyd in 9 seconds as America watched during a pandemic? Damn Kanye. Where is the Illuminati when you need them?
Kanye has had a fair share of chaotic spurts in the press, but now he's testing how far we will let him go. Is he power-tripping? Maybe. Or is this another manic episode that America watched on all media outlets and platforms? Whatever is taking place in Kanye West's head and life, he needs to take it somewhere else. At this point, I don't know what's worse, watching Blueface and Chrisean or hearing about Kanye.
I am genuinely hurt by the sequence of events that have transpired due to Kanye's antics. Watching the media eat it all up is even worse. Mass media outlets are guilty participants in entertaining his foolishness, so their perspectives on his antics hold no weight and are somewhat contradicting. Liberal media outlets get him on interviews to hear his viewpoint to inform the left and the right. Conservative outlets get him on an interview to fuel the fire of misinformation and validate the hate of right-wing viewers. And right in the middle are the "for the culture" outlets getting him on their podcasts and round tables for clicks, views, and ratings, only to circle back and hit up every outlet to apologize. I'm looking at you, N.O.R.E.
It's not me. It's you, Kanye
Breakups are complex, but on the other side of them comes acceptance. I'm at the acceptance stage in my pseudo-relationship with Kanye West, accepting that this is who he is. Like our Grandmothers and Steve Harvey says, "believe someone to be who they are the first time" or something like that.
"I used to love Kanye. I even had the pink polo; I thought I was Kanye". The Old Kanye was an era of Ye that no longer exists, and we are constantly being reminded of that through his antics on one of the most powerful soapboxes, the MEDIA.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not covering up my Ye-inspired tattoo because this piece of artwork hurt. However, I will make sure some of my actions align with my decision to no more extended support Kanye or anything he is aligned with. That also means I have to let go of my dreams of seeing him in concert or buying a new pair of Yeezys. However, I'll be honest, I probably won't delete any of his music post, "The Life of Pablo."
And just like every breakup, I have to go back and erase the good times. I am deleting the good photos and creative reels on IG. Deleting the pictures saved on my phone of a Kanye that no longer exists. I have to throw away all the merch with his name on it. And I am boxing up my Yeezy's and slides that look like Yeezy's but aren't Yeezys. You know, all the things you must do after a breakup.
Breaking up is hard, and so is moving on, but you got to let that person go eventually. I don't want to break up with Ye, but my morals and values precede his antics. Will I ever give him another chance? Probably not, but I wish him all the best and hope he takes care of himself.
Never get a tattoo of your significant other because one day, they will show their ass on tv, and you'll have to cover it up.
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