A Theory on Why Kanye Turned to Trump

By:  H.T., Website:  Rogue Black Nerd

When people question why Kanye West has gone the route of endorsing Donald Trump, I think we’ve over simplified exactly what has drove Kanye to this point by blaming only one thing that is only part of why or many incorrect parts that could lead toward part of the truth.  The reality is that, if I could piece together some semblance of an idea of why he got to this point, I think we have to break apart all that we know about Kanye and join it with the reality of the world around him.

First, let’s address the large assed Armenian elephant in the room:  I think the Kardashians play into this in some way, but not in the manner many assume.  The first thing everyone has to understand about the Kardashians is that when people wonder why every man that goes into their family comes out drastically different, some worse, I think the thing everyone forgets is that the Kardashians exist essentially outside the realities of the world socially, economically, and in many cases physically.  If anything, they are less a witches’ coven and more House of Borgia.  The Kardashians are in effect leftovers of the previous generations starlets rise to fame and what rose to the top by the time all the biggest stars either fell off, died off or simply left.  People forget that the reason we don’t see Paris Hilton as much is because of the facts she comes from money and that her name is a worldwide brand at this point.  Kim, and by extent her family, has only gotten as far as they have both because of social media and the fact that all potential competition can’t really compete on the playing field they are on as well, namely because they built how it works and how to benefit from it.

With Kanye, the assumption is that the Kardashians drove him crazy.  But let’s break this assumption about the Kardashians apart, shall we?  The reality is that all the men that were connected to the Kardashians can’t REALLY blame them for how they are what they are now.  According to his exes, Caitlyn Jenner’s exes said that Bruce at times did think he was a woman trapped in a man’s body.  Lamar Odom has always had addiction issues.  Tyga caused all his problems with them via hubris.  Scott Dissick has always been a known psychopath.  And Rob has always been a very insecure and narcissistic man, so it’s not shocking that he indulged his gluttony after a bad breakup.  With Kanye, I think the best way to figure out exactly WHY Kanye is at this political stance, it’s not really the Kardashians driving toward it as I think even they know that trying control a situation like Kanye West p.r. wise typically goes about as well as a Suicide Squad comic when the Riddler cuts off Waller’s bombs.  Kanye is not entirely detached from the realities of the world around him, but I think one influence on what direction to go is what he saw of his mentor Jay Z.

Jay Z, post Lemonade, has been reduced to a meme and turned into a huge joke across the net.  For all his talks about being a “real nigga” the man clearly has lost his nerve as far as how he’s seen with Beyonce.  Hillary endorsement aside, Jay as far as black men in high places has become the face of what a lot of black men fear once they get that high up the economic ladder, that being the man with millions of dollars but none of the aggressive masculinity that white people admire but do not respect in black men.  With Kanye, I think he saw what he was becoming and decided that if this is what lies at the end, might as well try to keep some picture of defiance.  Enter Trump.

The facts with Trump are this:  he wrote an op-ed calling for the execution of the Central Park 5, which were 5 black men falsely accused of raping a white woman in New York City.  He didn’t denounce the KKK when he was asked about their endorsement of him.  He’s on camera joking about sexually assaulting women.  He gave a job to Steven Miller, a man who since high school has said the most racist, xenophobic and misogynistic things he could think of, even going as far as defending the Duke lacrosse players accused of rape.  And he gave a national advisory board position to Steve Bannon, a unabashed white supremacist and former head of Breitbart, a news site that regularly publishes articles about how inferior all people who are non-white men are.  So that raises the question:  why would Kanye, a black man, put on a Make America Great Again hat and endorse this man?

The first assumption everyone has about Kanye is that this is some sort of plot by the Kardashians to use a black man to get them what they love:  more fame.  But for all intents and purposes, they’ve kept him and his antics at arms length, either saying nothing or giving the runaround.  If this was a plot to connect the Kardashians to the Trumps, on one hand, one could argue on the grounds of Kanye’s very nature creating an ire of plausible deniability along with his mental illness, but even then I think either they don’t account for the fact that this could go very bad with these two men given any number of variables or they know that they have the one thing that might reign him in:  his kids.  But I think again, the most likely answer is the most simple one.

Kanye, for all intents and purposes, has always been more or less a very pseudo-hotep black man.  I say pseudo because while he clearly loves the imagery of Ancient Egypt and talks about kings and queens, the fact is this is a man that still openly embraces white supremacists.  The reason that sets him apart is that while they won’t say it, the reason hoteps model so much of their vision of what they wish black America to be like off white people is because they like all black conservatives, love the idea of men like Trump because he is the physical embodiment of white American patriarchy.  I think Kanye, in reality, adores Trump because in his head, he wants the life he lives.  Trump is hated, far more than Kanye is, but the man still draws in huge crowds and even was made President.  The women in his life respect him and bow at his feet.  His detractors view him as the next Francisco Franco, his fans the next Ronald Reagan.  Both from a historical standpoint are very dangerous men in relation to the history of the world, but their impacts on human history can’t be denied.  And that’s what Kanye sees in Trump; what he always believed he’d be by now if he didn’t have to deal with the nasty reality that having certain aspirations as a black man in America has a limit, no matter how much money you have.

When Kanye said “slavery sounded like a choice”, I think Kanye was trying to say that for all that stands against us, for the little we have to lose, why not rise up?  And I think he says these things because in his mind, I think he’s reached the pinnacle of his fame and knows there isn’t anything bigger for him beyond this point.  He sees a country where there is no place for a ubiquitously loved black man anymore with OJ eeking out the remainder of his life in Florida at his kid’s house and Bill Cosby likely to die in prison.  In short, I truly believe what we are seeing with Kanye, as someone with mental illness themselves, is a man dealing with both mental illness and an existential crisis.  Kanye likely feels trapped within the harsh reality of the life he is in.  He’s detached from his family, his mother is dead, his kids will likely grow up with zero idea of the culture he grew up in, he’s in a marriage with a woman that could at any moment cheat on him and leave with his children, and the world has been hating him more and more since the Taylor Swift incident.  I do not believe he is suicidal, but I would listen to the man and his problems before he does.  I think if anything, there are two hard realities to the story of Kanye:  1) This is a man that needs to go away, get professional help, and do it all off grid.  No cameras, no internet, no social media.  Just a hospital that would let him record music for himself and paint even.  But sadly, that leads to reality number 2) this will likely not happen.  Even if he was caught trying to end his life, even if he was an active danger to himself, no one around him would let him simply go away and get right.  The grim reality is that the media and society as a whole loves the spectacle of a prominent and creative black man imploding.  And Kanye west is no different.  I mean this in earnest:  I fear for his very sanity and safety and will consider it a blessing if he survives the next 5-10 years.  Hate his opinions if you must, but know this man has, both figuratively and literally, lost his religion.