Y'all knew they were gonna flood in, didn't you? The analyses of Kanye West's new "Monster" video, that is. Kanye's latest music video, featuring Bon Ivor, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj & Rick Ross, is stirring up quite the controversy. Some communities are arguing Kanye's video is blatantly misogynistic, claiming they even refuse to watch it again. To that I say, "How stupid!"
To refuse to engage with media representation is a highly dangerous task for any person committed to justice or liberation of a peoples. Media is an accessible "tool" that allows all of us to experience arenas of the world we aren't necessarily always allowed access into. Albeit, these representations are usually limited and inaccurate in that they never fully contextualize people, places, things, etc.
To get back to Kanye, I agree--on the surface of this video and the lyrics--this song is entirely misogynistic. For that, we need to hold him accountable as a man but also as an artist. However, I refuse to dismiss the "Monster" video as anything other than brilliant. Mr. West brought us a narrative on the exploitation of Black bodies by the same tool that's being used by these purported liberation advocates and/or "feminists"--whiteness.
Take a look at the video. You will see the only "dead" women are white women (I put dead in quotations because this is an artistic representation and no one is *actually* dead). The women of color who are represented in this video are all zombie-esque. I will get back to this point later. Now, just hear me out.
Kanye is offering us a story here, whether we listen or not is our choice. Given some bold interactions that have taken place in the public sphere between Mr. West and, ahem, Taylor Swift...I think it's important to analyze how he is using this video to continue stirring "controversy."
Given my interests in how Lady Gaga uses Blackness to perpetuate racial tropes in media and exploit Black bodies, I immediately put Kanye's "Monster" video into conversation with Gaga.
So George Bush and Bill Clinton have been out putting in work; they've been raising funds for the people of Haiti, who are still suffering even two months removed from the tragic earthquake that rocked their country. Yesterday, they both visited one of the many "tent cities" on the ground and shook a few hands in a meet the natives sorta moment. Their visit was slated to be an effort "to remind donors of the immense needs facing the recovery effort." Good idea; but take a look at this following clip and tell me what else we were reminded of. Oh and here's a hint: pay attention to George Bush's right hand after shaking a few hands:
Now I don't wanna pass judgment, nor mention the obvious "message" or perception - Kanye West already covered that angle. But I'll say that from what I read, Bush is somewhat of a germaphobe; he once infamously used a woman's shirt to wipe off his glasses. So in-spite of him reportedly having an aide give him "a big dollop of hand sanitizer" after shaking Barack Obama's hand. I won't be my usual race-baiting self and suggest that he has a problem with black people. Now his mother? That's a different story; and I wouldn't dare suggest the notion that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
Mommy, there's a Black man on TV about to steal an MTV Award from this nice White lady. Oh, it's Kanye West. I thought it was Suge Knight. You know how all those Blck guys look and act alike. (whew!)
Yet another example of why "they never shoulda gave you n*ggas money," as my man Rick James would say. I don't know y'all, but I think Kanye West needs a hug, or a role model maybe? Hello, can we get Tony Dungy on deck here? You know he's probably the only Black man who can get young Black men to get their lives on track, right? Yeah, I think Jim Brown stopped that shit after Richard Pryor and the beat down he gave his wife and Tony is now the mentor of all Black men in America, but I digress.
Can any of y'all tell me what the hell is wrong with Kanye? OK, OK, OK, forget that question. It's not like we don't know his problem. I'm sayin, everybody knows that he's a midget with a Napoleon complex hence that whole calling himself the Louis Vuitton Don n' all. I swear this Negro is more of an attention whore than a latchkey kid. And you know what? Have you heard his music lately? His shit is garbage, and I'm willing to bet that even that is by design just to get attention. Somehow after watching the above clip I kinda wish the ghost of his mother would have walked on stage and slapped the Black off of his ass for coming out there like he doesn't have any home training.
OK, so he couldn't just fellate Jay Z backstage at the VMAs. No, that would be too homo; can't have that in hip hop. Instead, he had to jump on stage and protect the honor of Jay Z's wife and totally scare the shit out of that poor white girl Taylor Swift (you know she probably hasn't been that close to a Black man before). When her and the rest of them saw a Black man jump on stage they thought it was gonna be a robbery, right? If you watch the clip again I'm sure you can see someone tucking their chain and trying to hide it from "Debo". Poor chile', I feel so sorry for her and what she had to endure at the hands of one of our uncouth cousins. Now she has to have counseling and shit like that just to get through the rest of her life.
What he did was distasteful, immature and selfish. But what else is new when it comes to Kanye West. He lost me as a fan a very long time ago, and he almost had me back with the whole "George Bush don't like Black people," thing. But he fucked up when he continued to run his mouth at every opportunity. You know, like he was the dude everybody was checking for as to get an opinion. Make music dude and shut the fuck up and just walk like Jesus as you carry the cross that is your ego.
What gets me is that his Black ass would have never pulled some shit like that at the BET awards. Yeah Kanye, pull that shit on stage with Keisha Coles getting and award if you want to. Yeah, do that shit and see how fast her crackhead momma and sister beat his ass as Suge Knight stomped on his neck. Aww come on, you know how "we" do at "our" award shows.
So now America hates him more than ever. No seriously, you don't interrupt an up and coming female country singer and think you'll get away with it. He obviously hasn't been paying attention to the news to see all these angry white folks who are all pissed at Obama. As if it hasn't been hard enough for Barack Obama lately, Kanye had to go and do this...
Damn, this Negro is everywhere! What is he a republican now? Listen Joe Wilson...oops, I mean Kanye, here's some advice. Of course I know you're not gonna change, nor is that swollen ego gonna shrink anytime soon. But be that as it may, from one brother to another, just listen to me...
the next time you get on national TV to pull a stunt like that, people would appreciate you more as a man if you mentioned the kids. You see, mentioning the kids would help you out big time. When you mention the kids, people would be less apt to think that what you did was all about you, like it always is. Surely they didn't think it was about Beyonce and your love for her video.
Next time, do it like my man did it several years ago...
“He who warned uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed.” -- Sarah Palin on Paul Revere
