What kind of music fan are you? The type who finds it easy to separate an artist from their actions and words or the type who can’t or doesn’t want to?
That’s a been a topic of discussion after Kanye West dropped his new album “Ye” on Friday (June1), now available on all streaming sites.
Before West fully released the LP, he held a listening party in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where’s he’s been spending a lot of time living and recording. Some of the celebrities who showed up included Nas, Pusha T, Big Sean and Chris Rock who gave a funny speech to introduce the album.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjfIEBfH1N7/?utm_source=ig_embed
“Remember this rap music, hip-hop music, is the first art form created by free Black men and no Black man has taken more advantage of his freedom than Kanye West. Listen without prejudice,” said the comedian.
Rock’s request to listen to the album without prejudice has everything to do with the rapper recently siding with Donald Trump, sporting a MAGA hat and saying slavery was a choice. But a lot of folks said they refuse to support West, and they’re minds are already made up.
“Kanye’s visit to Trump Tower, his MAGA hat, slavery was a choice, his reclaiming of the Confederate flag to sell merch, his disrespect of Rhymefest and Donnie. Y’all let all that go for an album released in the middle of nowhere?” one person asked. “I don’t ever want to be that kind of Stan.”
“First time since I was 14 years old that I wasn’t excited for a Kanye West album,” another person tweeted.
But others said they were eager to listen to the album regardless of the rapper did or said, because they’re more interested in his musical output than they are in him.
“I’m a fan of Kanye’s music, not his political views,” read someone’s tweet. “It’s really sad that the vast majority of you have the inability to not assemble the two.”
As for the album itself, it’s extremely short in length and comes in at just seven songs.
On it, West’s addresses his support of Trump and his slavery comments over a mix of live instrumentation and samples. He also talked about how his slavery comments affected his marriage on the song “Wouldn’t Leave.”
“They say build your own I said ‘how Sway’ / I said Slavery was a choice, they say ‘how Ye?’ / Just imagine if they caught me on a wild day / Now I’m on fifty blogs getting fifty calls / My wife calling screaming say ‘We about to lost it all’ / Had to calm her down ‘cause she couldn’t breathe / Told she could leave me now but she wouldn’t leave,” he rapped.
Although Kim Kardashian wouldn’t leave the Chicago producer, it’s apparent that many have and probably won’t return.
You can see what people had to say about the album below.
I’m not falling for it. I’m standing my ground. He has lost me completely.
— W Y N T E R (@wyntermitchell) June 1, 2018
Kanye’s visit to Trump Tower, his MAGA hat, “slavery was a choice,” his “reclaiming of the Confederate flag” to sell merch, his disrespect of Rhymefest & Donnie…..
Y’all let all that go. For an album released in the middle of nowhere. I don’t ever want to be that kind of Stan.
— April (@ReignOfApril) June 1, 2018
Don’t be shocked that people are still supporting Kanye. R.Kelly married a child, pissed on another one and made a whole sex tape, and folks are still stepping in the name of love.
— Shanita Hubbard (@msshanitarenee) June 1, 2018
Yeah like Idk if I can get offended enough to stop listening to his music because I like it. I think people who do that are hypocrites, like a lot of rappers have killed people but you mad at kanye for an opinion. Keep the same energy because if you did you’d have no music
— Danny Manage (@dannygmanage) June 1, 2018
kanye is insane, but this album deserves infinite praise. he knocked it out of the park with this one. it has everything we love from kanye; from the intensity of yeezus to the beauty of late registration pic.twitter.com/0eEj6RA5mf
— erik (@erikyrodriguez) June 1, 2018
kanye’s new album got that old school kanye vibe
— REY (@dratrevino) June 1, 2018
This is Kanye’s third dud. https://t.co/iFevFh023O
— I’m Gary (@noyokono) June 1, 2018
In some ways, #YE feels like a Kanye compilation album of his previous sounds. I hear elements of Graduation, 808s, MBDTF, Yeezus and Pablo. Sonically, it feels like a story across the years…
— Tamara Dhia (@tamaradhia) June 1, 2018
The Kanye album did absolutely nothing for me. I listened to it because the TL was filled with rave reviews this morning but nope. I wasn’t into it and the stuff that the artist has been into lately certainly hasn’t helped me provide a favorable opinion of the art.
— Mark Yesilevskiy (@MarkWhyy) June 1, 2018
This #Wyoming album is great! So much better than Pablo. Glad Kanye was trolling with that poopedy scoop stuff. Back in old school form.
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) June 1, 2018
