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On rapper, his career, recent comments and mis-steps

Kanye West was a 'god' who cheated death, a genius who blessed us with his works, and now the fallen demon under the guise of a freethinker.

He had come face to face with death falling asleep at the wheel and here he was looking down with a story to tell.

A quick research confirmed that the journey for Ye didn't start with the single, Ye had been around longer, but he had done most of his works behind the scene, working as a producer to some of the biggest names in the game.

But the fire of the rapper in him burnt and birthed his first studio effort, 'College Dropout', which was eventually released in 2004 with breakout singles like Jesus Walks, and 'All Falls Down'.

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At this point, Kanye had won not just the heart of one young boy on the streets of Mainland, Lagos, Ye had wrestled universal appeal from all and sundry and it was no surprise when the album got 10 Grammy Nominations and won Best Rap Album.

Things would only get better for Ye, the contents were great, his impact was weighty, he was seen as the new messiah for hip-hop and his subsequent albums cleared all doubts as to him being a genius.

Late Registration was Kanye's second studio album and one that had a special place in my heart, with as much as 5 breakout singles from the project, I connected with 'Roses' on a really personal level.

I still remember scribbling down the lyrics and memorizing every line, every rhyme had its meaning to my situation and when he said, ''So many Aunties, we could have an Auntie team'', Ye had captured happenings relating to my culture and he wasn't even aware.

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The remix to 'Diamonds from Sierra Leone' was released and with my favourite rapper, JAY Z dropping a classic verse on it, Ye could do no wrong in my books, he had successfully earned himself a Stan, all that was required was a command from him and I would follow.

From Graduation to 808s & Heartbreak, Ye was redefining the standard of making music, Graduation had seen Ye go head to head with G-Unit honcho, 50 Cent in an album sales war on its day of release, Ye was dictating the new direction of hip-hop and other rappers had cold feet.

Then he lost his mother in between and got caught up in his first major controversy, when he took to the stage at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and stole the headline grabbing the microphone from Taylor Swift.

That was the beginning of a new path that he had chosen, one that would hang around him like a dark cloud years later and probably still haunts him till date.

With My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, came the ultimate divisive public persona who could yet make great music.

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Hinged on a lot of experimentation and instrumental variations, Ye delivered a Classic's classic and his collaboration album with Hov, 'Watch The Throne' witnessed some of his best moments as an emcee and a producer.

But after a break from the industry and fully delving into fashion, Ye dropped his sixth solo project, Yeezus, which was eccentric, disconnected and totally not bothered with conventional sound.

At that point as a fan, there was clearly something off and instead of consuming the abrasive album he delivered, I took solace in his earlier projects, nothing could yet stain the icon that was Kanye.

Life of Pablo was an album that never happened and in between he had lost his mother and married Kim Kardashian.

Subsequently, the controversies soon became mental issues, he got hospitalized for psychiatric observation, openly called out friend and big brother Jay Z, cut ties with associates and practically recoiled into his own world.

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And just as we were getting used to the quiet Kanye West, the rapper and producer recently resurfaced on social media announcing new albums, associating with Donald Trump, but his rant reached its height with his interview at TMZ studios, where Ye made the comment that 'Blacks being slaves for over 400 years was a choice', the comment drew aggression not just from TMZ in-house personnel, Van Lathan but on the streets of social media and justifiably so.

He posits himself as a free thinker and one who clearly has his right to choice and association, but his recent comments cast major shadows of doubt about his ability to freely think as he has chosen to distort fact and the impact of his comments at the feet of being seen as a radical.

A free thinker must first comprehend the full compass of knowledge, facts and nuances or else he will never be qualified to know the circumstances of the situation he speaks, or to what end the spillover could be and on these counts, Ye has failed.

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Ye is seen these days rocking a Make America Great Again (MAGA) cap, speaking without thought and ignoring how his words may serve as a tool to justify the oppression of the man on the streets.

With his comments attracting major backlash, Ye has since attempted to make some clarifications, which has fallen on deaf ears.

Former Black Eyed Peas member, Will.i.am reacted on ITV's Good Morning Britain, saying, "That broke my heart, because I thought about my grandma, who was born in 1920, and her connection with her mom who raised her, who was born in the late 1800s.

"And my grandmother's grandma, who was a slave. And when you're a slave, you're owned. You don't choose if you're owned. When you're a slave you're deprived of education. That's not choice, that's by force."

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"So I understand the need to have free thought, but if your thoughts aren't researched, that is just going to hurt those that are still in conditions where it's not choice."

This may all have started as a publicity stunt in preparation for the release of his next set of foot-wears and upcoming projects, Ye may honestly believe his own hype and think that he is on the right path, but the artist who produced and worked with conscious rapper Common's on his ''Be'' and ''Finding forever'' albums, albums which told the story of the black man, Ye has lost it.

Kanye in a minute has forgotten how he was once an embodiment of every thing the young black man represented and identified with through his songs like,''All Falls Down'' and ''Gold Diggers'', songs that weaves into the culture and daily lives of the man on the streets.

Kanye is sacrificing his legacy for a pot of porridge, becoming a caricature of everything he once stood for through his music, his life and his actions and trivializing the anguish of centuries of slavery in the guise of being a free thinker.

From moaning over JayZ's failure to attend his wedding, to saying former President Barrack Obama should have called him, Ye has gone the entire 360 with his legacy tarnishing faster than white paint on Lagos roads, and like he said in his lyrics, ''He now throws tantrum like he is three years old''.

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