As one of the founders at MONODREAMS, Ye has had a big influence on my life. There truly is no denying the scale of his impact on music, fashion and culture. Graduation was a staple on my iPod Classic back in 2007, and since then, there have been few years when Ye wasn’t in my top 5 most-played artists. One reason might be, as Ye once said in an interview with Zane Lowe: “If you’re a fan of Kanye West, you’re a fan of yourself.”
Being not the most confident person, I find that listening to Kanye West is like my morning espresso, (once again quoting Ye himself) and I believe many others feel the same. If you have a scary meeting coming up, "On Sight" can definitely give you that extra boost of confidence. I promise you, it works.
Ye is one of the few artists who has consistently refused to follow the traditional path laid out by major labels. In the early 2000s, this kind of independence was rare and it was inspiring to see someone challenge the system. Such as standing up for the Black community by challenging President Bush, giving away his awards to other artists, delivering some of the most impactful award speeches and openly addressing taboo subjects like sexuality and politics in his music. Ye consistently broke boundaries.
That’s why it’s so difficult for fans to watch him enter what feels like a darker phase. The world’s most confident man can sometimes take it too far, to the point of seeming delusional. Some say all geniuses are a bit crazy, but there’s a line, and lately, it’s been crossed.
Openly generalizing and publicly shaming groups of people is unacceptable. His recent actions, such as wearing a shirt featuring a swastika and sharing deeply hurtful quotes online are shocking, especially when compared to the Ye we once admired. The picture below says it all.
Despite all this, Ye’s music remains stacked in our playlists, but separating the art from the artist isn’t easy. This was the driving reason behind creating the Ye Tee.
Being conscious of the artists we stand behind matters and starting a dialogue is one way we can hope to make an impact ourselves.
With love,
MONODREAMS
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