Kanye West has been one of the biggest and most influential artists of the 21st century, but in recent years, he has not seemed to be his old self. His music is different, he has a completely different public image, and he does not carry the same beliefs he once did. These things at face value aren’t negative, but for Kanye, these changes were all for the worse.
Starting with his most recent music, Kanye has been accused of using AI to write and make songs or verses for him. The use of AI isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Kanye usually prides himself on the fact that he makes his music almost entirely by himself, so this marks him going against his normal ways; a big difference from what he normally does. “I think it’s pretty disappointing that he went from such a lyrically gifted artist to such a lazy and boring one, it’s a shame to see,” said Ashton Fox, a UDJ senior, who has been paying close attention to Kanye’s new music. These AI uses can be seen scattered across his most recent album ‘Vultures 2’. The verse that first caught fans’ attention was Kanye’s verse on the song ‘Sky City’ where it is obvious that AI was used in at least some way, with most believing that it is entirely AI. This was later almost definitively proven by one of the producers for the track, James Royo, when asked if the verse was AI where he said, “Doesn’t matter. This is how Ye [Kanye West] wants it, let the man do his thing it’s his song”. Then, at the start of the first chorus on the song ‘Field Trip’ after Ty Dolla $ign’s short verse, AI is used to make Ty Dolla $ign sound like Kanye for a few bars. These were just the first blatant uses that listeners noticed. AI was spotted being used all across the album. Whether it be due to creative choice, loss of love for music, or just blatant laziness, Kanye’s usage of AI is a major deviation from what he originally stood for.
Kanye’s more controversial behavior goes back to February when he released ‘Vultures 1’. The only word that can describe this time for Kanye is chaos. Starting with the imagery used for the album, the original art being used as the cover and for promotion was based on the work of Caspar David Friedrich. Caspar was an artist that was widely loved by the Nazi party, especially Hitler himself. During this time, Kanye made numerous antisemitic comments but would eventually apologize for them. He did this via an Instagram post, that has since been taken down, which was written in Hebrew and translated to:
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any ‘unintended outburst’ caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”
This was before the rollout for ‘Vultures 1’ had begun, so fans were incredibly surprised when they saw it did start. Kanye changed the cover art of the album upon its release, but he continued his antisemitism beyond just the art. The merch for the album often used an emblem of a double-headed eagle that very closely resembled the Reich Sadler, meaning “imperial eagle.” This was an emblem used to represent unity during the rise of the early German and Nazi empire. In the lyrics of the album, Kanye can also be heard mocking God and the Jewish religion. Also, on ‘Carnival,’ the album’s biggest song, Kanye compares himself to R. Kelly, P Diddy, and Bill Cosby, calling himself, and the people listed, misunderstood.
On top of all that was said on Vultures 1, Kanye compares himself to God multiple times throughout the album, which is something he has done in the past. But this is a harsh contrast from what Kanye was pushing before Vultures 1. Kanye’s previous 2 albums were ‘Donda’ and ‘Jesus is King’, which both promoted his love for God and the catholic religion. This makes what Kanye said in public and pushed with Vultures 1 even more shocking. Lucas Tahy, a former Kanye enthusiast, had this to say, “It’s uncanny, his actions given his past beliefs that he preached. I personally don’t support him anymore.”
Kanye West’s 2024 has shown fans that he is not the same person he was just a few years ago. He has been open before about his struggles with bipolar disorder and his recent divorce from his wife Kim Kardashian, but has also been open about not taking the medication he was prescribed for his problems. People can only speculate what caused this harsh change for Kanye, but he is not the same person he was.
