Something that the entire world tends to forget is that celebrities are people too.
This is evidenced by the recent mental breakdown of critically acclaimed rapper Kanye West. During his Life of Pablo Tour, West became increasingly unstable, with his concerts essentially consisting more of him ranting than actual performances.
Throughout his performances, West would rant about “corruption” in award shows like the Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards. He also ranted about how radio stations only play songs by Drake, DJ Khaled, Lil Uzi Vert, and other similar artists West advocated for artists on his G.O.O.D. Music label, Frank Ocean and Kid Cudi, who recently left a rehabilitation center for depression.
After venting to the crowd, West would drop his microphone and just walk off the stage. This was much to the dismay of his fans who paid their hard-earned money to see their favorite artist. Many Yeezy fans all over the world, including WS students were flabbergasted at West’s actions.
“He has gotten a lot of hate lately. I feel bad for him,” said senior Sarah Chang.
West has been increasingly erratic over the past few months and was admitted to a hospital due to paranoia and exhaustion. Some people believe this is merely for West go gain attention.
“I don’t pay attention to Kanye because he’s crazy,” said senior Keke Adriana.
West has indeed gone a little crazy, but there are probably reasons for it. The anniversary of his mother’s death was in November, and West was really close to his mother, which has undoubtedly contributed to his current situation. West has also been on tour since late August, and it was scheduled to end in December, but he was so overwhelmed by his thoughts and constant scrutiny that he cancelled the tour late in November.
Another reason for West’s breakdown may be a result of “The Kardashian Curse.” Due to the curse, any man who dates a Kardashian will have their careers ruined. It happened to NBA players Kris Humphries and Lamar Odom, NFL player Reggie Bush, reality star Ray J, and many others. Despite a definite pattern, there are certainly people who doubt the credibility of the curse.
“I don’t know,” said senior Alice Hamel, “There’s some truth to it, but at the same time, they have so much money, why does it matter?”
In the end, whether you like Kanye or not, mental illness is not a joke and people should put their feelings aside