(ThyBlackMan.com) On Tuesday, Kanye West and A.P.C, a clothing line he partnered with released their second installment of clothes to sell to the general public and the fashion connoisseurs. For those of you who may wonder about the sensation of this event, Kanye West isn’t selling anything cheap; a general white tee-shirt will cost you $90, and a fur-lined parka jacket runs just over $2800. Obviously for the material, it’s a heavy price-tag. But because Kanye West is an inspiring fashion designer and wants to make moves like the top dogs, he’s going to see this as his only resort. But, what happened to all the noise of the American people being slaves to consumerism?
It’s still there, it’s just he’s basically implying that rule doesn’t apply to him, and to not kill the messenger. Kanye West, ladies and gentleman, is trying to contradict himself and this is just a stepping stone to make his persona calculated. Kanye West, in my opinion, is seeing this long term, and conflicting yourself will always keep people talking. See; the Hannah
Montana/Miley Cyrus fiasco.
But why, though? Simple. It seems to be a trend to be a paradox now-a-days. Look at Nicki Minaj’s comments about authenticity; do you really, as a listener and observer of the media believe that Nicki deserves to even make a claim about being authentic? No need to get into common knowledge details, but let’s just say her comments aren’t necessarily something she should state. Back to Kanye West, as long as he identifies that his voice and music has the power to control the mass market, he can make any move he wants. Therefore, Kanye can sell the message of anti-consumerism, then turn around and sell clothing for those who are fashion consumerist. And like his first installment with A.P.C, it’s going to most likely work.
But these things highlight Kanye’s genius; recognizing the power of his voice in which he can sell two contradictory messages at the same time without much penalty. But a interesting question is, which message does he personally want for the world? Does he really support the many of his fans and fashion enthusiasts who want to buy his overpriced clothes? Or is this a part of his controversial shtick of having two snake heads with two very different voices. Taking two sides of the coin for a celebrity to build a persona is very risky, but it can only be pulled off with much thought and having a precise calculation of your star power.
Kanye West is one of the most famous artists on the planet, with a large fan base. He’s also a fashion aficionado, and a lot of his fans understand that and support it. And remember, fans, or “stans” may not see the double headed monster. When you reach that level of stardom, power trips like these are common. See; Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and R. Kelly.
So, with that being said, we can’t necessarily get mad at the move. Kanye understands that genius works alongside insanity. And many of his distractors will denounce the sale of his expensive clothing. But, he’s not just a genius because of his creative works via music. He’s a genius because he uses the platform in which we judge geniuses as his launching path into his post-Graduation career; confusion, outlandish statements, and showing signs of “insanity.” That, my friends, is why Kanye West will be here to stay.