○For about a month in late 2022, Kanye West seemed to have blown his career away forever. Weeks of increasingly erratic behavior included wearing “White Lives Matter” T-shirts, reviving the dirty anti-Semitic trope that Jews control the media, and making threats against Jews. It culminated in a descent into full-blown reactionary populism with a series of aggressive stunts, including but not limited to: X (Twitter at the time) conducts “Deathcon 3” against Jews.
Within weeks, West’s record label and publisher (Universal Music Group and Sony Music Publishing) each terminated their contracts with him. He was fired from his agency CAA. Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap have continued to collaborate. Most of his $2bn (£1.6bn) net worth evaporated overnight. Kanye will never come back from here Just read the headline of the Rolling Stone article from the time.
Less than two years later, the opposite is true. West’s latest album, Vultures 1, a collaboration with singer Ty Dolla $ign, hit him at number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart and number two on the UK chart. Its lead single, Carnival, a collaboration between Playboi Carti and Rich the Kid, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. He also recently co-headlined Rolling Loud Los Angeles, rap’s equivalent of Coachella, with Dollar Sign. He’s having trouble finding a venue that will accept him.
West’s career has always been defined by peaks and troughs. After facing backlash for interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he went into self-imposed exile in 2010, only to return with the acclaimed career-high “My Beautiful Dark Twisted.” Ta. That November fantasy. But his recent descent into trouble felt like a marked transition from his insane provocations to fringe intrigue.
A big part of West’s fame over the past decade has been his sheer ubiquity. His music was everywhere, but so was his line of multi-billion dollar sneakers. His collaborations with high fashion and high street brands have influenced the tastes of millions of people alike. His reach further expanded in 2014 when he married Kim Kardashian, the de facto leader of the world’s most famous family. Without the backing of the blue-chip brands that propelled him to that position, it seemed likely that West’s grip on culture would loosen at least a little.
So why is the opposite true? West’s comeback confirms what many in the entertainment industry have known for a long time. The public doesn’t really care about an artist’s misdeeds, no matter how unrepentant, as long as the art is still acceptable. For example, artists such as Michael Jackson and R. Kelly still perform frequently on radio stations and are hugely popular on streaming services. A new musical, “MJ,” authorized by Jackson’s estate, is currently playing in London’s West End and is a commercial success, but it is not strictly about audiences celebrating Jackson’s achievements. This suggests that they are not holding hands.
This is doubly true for the younger generation. Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti, two of Gen Z’s most revered rap stars, have been accused of domestic violence but have received little backlash. TikTok’s virality is largely driving West’s carnival, and those who come to the track from the service likely don’t care much about West’s past comments, or given TikTok’s ease of use. , it’s even possible they don’t know anything about West or at least his past actions. And streaming services decontextualize music for listeners.
For many people, music is an escapist pursuit, and the ethical issues surrounding listening to the music of someone who may not share your values, and thereby lining their pockets, are actually means it’s not a problem. West was also deeply skeptical of the way the predominantly white entertainment industry has historically failed black entertainers. I wouldn’t be surprised if this aspect of his music and celebrity created some kind of buffer against backlash or cancellation attempts.
What benefits West is a culture in which self-proclaimed “free thinkers” on the right like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson already enjoy enormous popularity among young men, who also share West’s fan base. occupies the core of West isn’t necessarily as much of an outlier in social discourse as people think. His shift to the right seems quite consistent with a broader cultural movement toward conservatism. Last year, songs by Jason Aldean and Oliver Anthony that alluded to right-wing and QAnon issues, respectively, topped the Billboard charts.
The industry that was the first to lose weight can also be very fickle when it comes to making money. Although West doesn’t have a label or publisher yet, he wholeheartedly supports major streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, each of which has music available. You can listen to songs from Vultures 1 on popular editorial playlists, including RapCaviar, Spotify’s flagship rap playlist. Adidas still sells Yeezy-branded shoes. The company donates a portion of its profits to anti-hate organizations, meaning it keeps a portion of its profits. The company’s announcement that it would resume sales of Yeezy shoes also led to a significant increase in the stock price.
It’s not really surprising that festivals like Rolling Loud chose to book West so soon after his chart success. When companies cut ties with customers over allegations of fraud, they are adjusting to the cultural temperature in preparation for potential backlash from consumers. Rolling Loud recognized that their audience was back on West’s side (even if they had actually moved away) and acted accordingly.
It’s hard to say what this means for West’s comeback. Venues still seem reluctant to book him, at least for now, but it’s not hard to see some sort of ad hoc festival tour on the cards. Even if his two other albums planned for this year, Vultures 2 and Vultures 3, are half as successful as Vultures 1, the broader music and entertainment industry will treat him as an outcast for a long time. Things will be difficult. Citizens are already voting with their wallets.
