The Greek Tragedy That Has Become Kanye West

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. 

No words ring more true when describing the current situation of hip-hop auteur and cultural icon Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. 

Call it religious fanaticism, the teachings of Louis Farrakhan or an unhealthy lack of fear of consequences, but Ye has flown too close to the sun. 

His most recent ramblings made him a far-right conspiracy theorist. 

In the web series Infowars of Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones, Ye remarked that “[he] loves Jewish people, but [he] also loves Nazis.” 

He justified his statement by claiming every human has value, even Hitler.

The proverbial ticking time bomb went off in such a way that even Mr. West’s biggest supporters had their jaws on the floor. 

How can he continue to dig his grave without regard for the ramifications? 

The answer is hubris.

Like in the story of Icarus—which depicts the fall of Icarus after he ignores his father’s advice to avoid flying too close to the sun—narcissism hinders every facet of Ye’s career. 

You’d think it would be due to an unabashed lack of self-awareness, but that seems far from the case with Ye given his lyrics as of late. 

Previously fans like myself were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Especially since his manic ramblings about the corruption and draconian rule that the music industry has over artists were not too far-fetched from what others have expressed. 

But it’s ironic that Ye’s prophesying about the proto-authoritarian tendencies of the entertainment industrial complex led him to spew the hateful rhetoric of arguably the worst fascist of them all.

This isn’t the first time an artist close to the reverence of West has been weirdly and outrageously apologetic toward Hitler. And knowing the insanity of this world we live in, Ye’s claims won’t be the last. 

Nonetheless, the key difference at play with Ye’s approach is his radical reveling in the media’s displeasure. 

Whether he’s lost his affinity to be loved by the masses is no longer the question; Kanye has become the personification of jadedness. 

He will continue alienating his dwindling fan base as he is hand-picked by political extremists as a means to an end. All in the name of Ye’s Achilles heel—his egocentric cynicism.

Malignant narcissism will spell the ruin of Kanye West; the man and the musician, as we know it.

Yet, he stays unfazed through it all.

“Hurt people hurt people,” said West in an interview with Piers Morgan as he attempted to justify his acts. 

If there is a God after all, let us hope and pray that he forgives Kanye and blesses him with the support system he needs to be saved.

Because as yet, Kanye refuses to save himself.