Kanye West has always been known as an eccentric artiste, and probably one of the most talented ones out there in today’s hip-hop scene. Kanye has been going a little crazier than usual these days, known now mostly for his Twitter rants and Yeezy apparel brand. He just dropped his latest album, “The Life Of Pablo”, and before it even dropped, there was some controversy on the lyrics to one of the tracks, “Famous”, especially with fellow singer Taylor Swift objecting to her being referenced in a demeaning way. That seemed to have died down, but has created quite the uproar since the release of the official video for the track. Why? Because it contains several well known celebrities all naked in bed with Kanye and his wife, Kim Kardashian.
Inspiration
A fan of art would be able to recognise the name of artist Vincent Desiderio and his work. It seems that Kanye West drew inspiration from the American’s artwork and took home something similar for Famous. Kanye officially named a Matthew Barney as another artist who helped him develop his “genius” that is the video.
Though each of these artists are the provocative kind, their work is drawn from their own creativity and minds. What Kanye has merely done in the video is put a bunch of naked wax statues fashioned in the forms of some of the most famous global faces – Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, Presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump, Rihanna, Chris Brown, ex-girlfriend Amber Rose, former President of the United States, George W. Bush, Bill Cosby, his own in-law Caitlyn Jenner, his current wife Kim Kardashian, her former flame Ray J and Taylor Swift. All together in bed with him and his big man boobs.
Critical Response
Since the video dropped, there has been an uproar from the world, though none of the stars who were unceremoniously involved in the video have yet spoken (or sued) about it. Many critics state that Kanye isn’t being “artistic” at all, though YouTube has happily uploaded the video without any censoring. Free the nipple much? People say that Kanye has gotten this far because of his fame, money and backing by well-known bullies, the Kardashians.
The rapper’s fans, on the other hand, continue to support him, stating that he is in fact doing a great thing by bringing together music and art.
Celebrity Reactions
Many celebrities have shown their disapproval for Famous. One of the first and most loudest voices belongs to Swift Squad member Lena Dunham, who said: “at the same time Brock Turner is getting off with a light tap for raping an unconscious woman and photographing her breasts for a group chat…As assaults are Periscoped across the web and girls commit suicide after being exposed in ways they never imagined…Now I have to see the prone, unconscious, waxy bodies of famous women, twisted like they’ve been drugged and chucked aside at a racer? It gives me such a sickening sense of dis-ease…I don’t have a hip cool reaction, because seeing a woman I love like Taylor Swift…Rihanna or Anna, reduced to a pair of waxy breasts made by some special effects guy in the Valley, it makes me feed sad and unsafe and worried for the teenage girls who watch this and may not understand that grainy roving camera as the stuff of snuff films…our culture that make women feel unsafe even in their own beds, in their own bodies.” Read the entire open letter by Lena Dunham HERE.
