WARNING: THIS ARTICLE DEALS WITH SENSITIVE TOPICS THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME READERS
Kanye West is a complicated name. Once the head of a music and fashion empire, the genre-bending hip-hop artist now finds himself at constant odds with the culture he helped to shape. Years of endless controversy, unchecked ego, and fiery rhetoric have stained a legacy of cultural and artistic innovation.
Even his most devoted fans have begun to separate themselves. On April 25, Twitch banned West only seven minutes into his streaming debut. According to The Independent, he started the stream with an antisemitic and homophobic rant, proudly hurling slurs, throwing up the Nazi salute, and boldly proclaiming “Heil Hitler”. Despite the quick ban, this was no isolated incident. It follows a years-long pattern of bigoted remarks targeting Jewish people and the LGBTQ+ community. He has engaged in numerous social media tirades where he proclaims himself a Nazi and aligns himself with certain Alt-Right media influencers.
Many point to his mental health and inability to seek long-term help as the root of his unraveling. As Mental Health Awareness month begins, it’s important to contextualize West’s fall from stardom. His personal life has been laid bare; relentless public shame, scrutiny, and paparazzi gossip are his norm. His relationship with fame is one of toxicity. It elevated him to positions of power and influence but exposed vulnerable and private aspects of his life on a global stage. There’s no doubt his mental health would take a drastic hit and cause him to lash out.
Yet, his actions are inexcusable. His outbursts have empowered dangerous ideologies and normalized casual hate speech. Mental health may be an explanation, but not a justification to allow him to keep doing what he’s doing. How do we toe the line between empathy and accountability? Is it our fault for making a spectacle out of suffering? Lastly, is there any hope for West after the dust settles?
Crisis in The Spotlight
It’s no secret that West struggles with mental illness. In 2016, he experienced temporary psychosis due to sleep deprivation and exhaustion and was hospitalized for a “psychiatric emergency”, according to The Washington Post. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a chronic condition marked by erratic behaviors and intense mood swings between mania and depression. However, in February of this year, West has since claimed that the diagnosis was incorrect and now understands himself as having autism, according to The New York Times.
Regardless, it’s undeniable that a life spent under the microscope of fame has left him in emotional and psychological turmoil. He’s expressed this sentiment in his art before. His 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, is a deeply vulnerable spiral about his relationship with fame. The limelight is an abusive parasite in his life that he despises but is forever trapped in.
The publicizing of his major losses and trauma has only worsened his mental well-being. The passing of his mother, Donda West, in 2007 had left the rapper with unresolved guilt. In one of his Twitter rants reported by The Mirror US, he blamed himself for her passing and has admitted to suicidal thoughts since then. His 2021 divorce from Kim Kardashian marks another turning point in his behavior. In a now-deleted Instagram post recorded by Billboard, West narrated the emotional process of divorce: “Divorce feels like suffocating, barely breathing. Divorce feels like you’re receiving a spiritual beating every evening.” Finally, according to Page Six, West implied a ruthless, scorched-earth plan to win back his children in another chaotic live stream.
These are only a few of his unhealed wounds. It’s easy to see how grief, loss, and the terror of fame further strained his mental health. Understanding West’s pain is essential to understanding his wrath. His Twitch ban is emblematic of issues beyond hate speech. It’s a broader failure within our culture to respond to mental health crises. As witnesses to his struggles, it’s not enough to remove his platform and hope he goes away. Isolation is not rehabilitation. We can either meet West with the same judgment and scrutiny that pushed him to his breaking point, or advocate for more channels and stronger systems of professional help.
West’s Love for Controversy
However, this is not to say West is without responsibility. Despite his bipolar disorder diagnosis, he made an active effort to avoid medication for the good of his creativity. According to a Billboard report, in another 2018 Twitter rant, he wrote, “I’m loving the new music I’ve been working on. 6 months off meds I feel me again.” This promotes a very specific and volatile rhetoric: that artists must suffer to produce great art. It portrays West as a creative genius whose disorder fuels his brilliance and, by extension, justifies his behavior. This encourages fans to idolize his actions rather than confront them—a “he’s so right, we just can’t see it” mentality. All in service of “Kanye West, the artist” rather than “Kanye West, the human being”. It’s harm disguised as mental freedom.
Contrarianism and controversy tend to define his career. West’s unapologetic fashion and attitude made him a genius in the cultural lens—an innovator ahead of his time. In a now-infamous 2005 NBC broadcast promoting relief for Hurricane Katrina victims, West went off script and bluntly stated, “George Bush does not care about black people.” While the criticism was shockingly harsh, it brought awareness to a reality of systemic discrimination and how natural disasters disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
However, his intent has changed. His controversial statements nowadays don’t come from moral urgency; they spread hate, bigotry, and blame for the world’s problems. It’s about destruction and division over creation and expression. His influence has inspired real hate groups, including an incident in Los Angeles where a group of Neo-Nazis displayed antisemitic banners over the 405 freeway and praised West for his views. While we can empathize with his mental health struggles and pain, this doesn’t grant him immunity from accountability. His conspiracy and controversy are endangering marginalized groups and casting a harmful light on what we perceive mental illness to be. It reinforces a worldview where people with mental health conditions are as dangerous as West, beyond the need for support.
Can He Ever Come Back?
Ultimately, it’s unlikely West will ever return to the same career high he had years ago. He’s burnt many professional bridges, most notably his contract with Adidas. The Twitch ban is also a clear sign that the culture is ready to move on.
(Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
However, with mental health and wellbeing, it’s never too late to seek help. A path for healing and self-reflection always remains open for those willing to take it. West is not the only celebrity to grapple with mental health; they are human at the end of the day, and many suffer in silence just like anyone else. It’s up to us—as a culture and as individuals—to cultivate an environment of compassion and empathy when discussing mental health and illness.
What's Your Reaction?
