I started listening to Kanye West in middle school. Hip-hop didn’t mean nearly as much to me then as it does now, but his sound still resonated with me.
I didn’t understand most of the references in the songs and my overcautious parents monitored my playlists for explicit content, but I was still captivated by West’s innovative sampling, live instrumentation and willingness to push the boundaries of traditional hip-hop.
With a minimal attention span and nonexistent understanding of world events, I listened to albums like “Graduation” and “Late Registration” solely because they sounded good. But as I grew older and gained a greater appreciation for the thoughtful lyrics behind these albums, I saw West as much more than a musician — as an activist, an advocate for civil rights and a politician.
During the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, the always outspoken West declared his bid to run for president in 2020 — an announcement received with skepticism from casual fans like myself who could not picture an entertainer actually leading the country.
But following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 election and the controversy that has followed during his time in office, West’s promise holds a little more weight. If Trump can serve as the president without, in my opinion, any of the qualifications necessary for a position of such importance, then West and his musical expressions of political and social policy might just stand a chance in 2020.
Trump, after all, is far from an accredited politician. He is a businessman first and foremost, with zero, zero experience serving in any formal or informal political role. He is one of only two presidents to ever serve without any political or military experience, the other being Herbert Hoover, who rose to presidential status because of his entrepreneurial success in mining — and ironically catapulted the country into the Great Depression the year he took over.
These are not biased liberal opinions, but rather a factual testament to Trump’s lack of experience in office. When other candidates, like Hillary Clinton, were serving as state and federal representatives, Trump was on TV acting as an entertainer and celebrity more than anything else. And he has continued to do so even as president, garnering constant attention for his crass tweets and abandonment of any sense of political correctness.
West, like Trump, has no relevant political experience. But his commitment to producing politically influential music puts him in just as good of a spot to succeed.
Music has long been a vessel for political commentary, and it would be shortsighted to exclude hip-hop and rap from that judgment. West has publicized his opinions on racism, poverty, drug trafficking and health care through his music, and holds nothing back in his criticism of the country’s social and economic inequality.
“Late Registration,” a 2006 Grammy Award nominee for Album of the Year and winner of Best Rap Album, presents the pinnacle of West’s political involvement.
The most outwardly political song on the album is “Diamonds from Sierra Leone,” a masterpiece that details the atrocities of the civil war over diamonds in West Africa and how the United States funds much of the humanitarian disaster by constantly purchasing more jewels.
“Crack Music” illustrates the negative impact of cocaine on impoverished Black communities, and “Heard ‘Em Say” comments on government welfare policy, with West asking, “Before you ask me to go get a job today, can I at least get a raise of the minimum wage?”
The album also contains numerous political skits and interludes, all of which focus on the fictional Black fraternity “Broke Phi Broke.” The members ironically pride themselves on having a lack of money and resources within the traditionally white institution of the university, and West is subsequently expelled when he breaks one of the fraternity rules by eating a meal and showering every day.
Though no governor or senator, Kanye West consistently comments on political and social issues through his music, and in my opinion exhibits an awareness of human and civil rights issues much greater than President Trump. Kanye produced “Late Registration” in an attempt to divulge music’s power to challenge and shape political policy.
But West’s outspoken music has not gone without its fair share of criticism, and for good reason. He has been admitted to hospitals on multiple occasions because of concerns regarding his mental health, and his impulsivity shocked the country when he interrupted singer Taylor Swift during the 2009 VMAs and in 2005 declared, “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people,” on live TV following Hurricane Katrina.
However, the fact that Trump won the presidency given his nonexistent set of qualifications and lewd track record means that West deserves a real chance in 2020.
If “Crack Music” gives any indication of West’s seriousness, one verse describes his motivation well — “my dreams went from bein’ a brokeman to bein’ the president … look there’s hope man.”
Though most Americans will undoubtedly reject his vision of hope, as the majority of West fans reach voting age, there is a definite possibility his campaign gains some traction in 2020.
Ben Charlson can be reached at bencharl@umich.edu.