When hip-hop juggernaut Kanye West released his seventh solo album, “The Life of Pablo,” on Feb. 14, fans reacted with excited fanfare. The album has received widespread acclaim.
Critics like the New York Times’ Jon Caramanica have lauded West’s perfection of the “art of aesthetic and intellectual bricolage” on his latest project, and many have echoed this praise.
Last week, West surprised no one by taking to social media for one of his infamous stream-of-consciousness Twitter rants. After pleading financial insolvency, he admonished his followers for not supporting “real artists” before posting a tweet that read “you’d rather open up one school in Africa like you really helped the country...”
Listening to “The Life of Pablo” didn’t feel right that day. West’s implication that his priorities are more important than educating children is nothing short of insulting, even if they are children from the fictional country of Africa.
West’s egomania has manifested itself constantly over the last decade, but in the wake of his latest tirade, I’ve realized I don’t have to admire West the man to love West the artist. I don’t even have to like him.
Some of history’s great writers, musicians and leaders were despicable people. This shouldn’t devalue the quality of their work.
Short story writer H.P. Lovecraft was incredibly racist. He believed people of English descent to be superior to all others. He also produced some of the greatest horror fiction of the early 20th century, influencing the likes of Steven King and William S. Burroughs.
Film icon John Wayne was an admitted white supremacist. To him, taking land from Native Americans was justified because “there were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.” Despite his incorrect worldview, Wayne popularized Western film and earned countless awards with his calm machismo.
And let us not forget about filmmaker and actor Woody Allen. He was accused in 1992 and again in 2014 of sexual abuse by his daughter and is currently married to a woman he and his ex-partner, actress Mia Farrow, raised as a child.
Still, Allen’s 40-plus films have earned many awards, amusing audiences with his trademark slapstick humor for nearly five decades.
These facts are troubling and may cause you to think twice before you spend your evening reading Lovecraft or watching a film featuring Wayne or Allen.
But enjoying their art doesn’t require us to condone their actions or respect their beliefs. It requires little more than an appreciation of their craft.
Even the most wholesome artists and musicians have qualities that some may deem unsavory. This shouldn’t depreciate their creative contributions to the world.
Separating art from the artist is difficult, but there would be little left to enjoy if we rejected everything created by someone who held questionable beliefs.
It’s important that we consume art based on its creative value, not the things we like about its creator. So the next time you listen to West’s latest album, let the music speak for itself.
dkilcull@indiana.edu
