Kanye West is an unreliable narrator for Kanye Westâs life. Kanye is still canceled, of course, but weâre still going to talk about him, because⌠itâs June, and all of the galas and royal weddings are over, and itâs worth discussing, honestly. Kanye has released his new EP called YE. The first reports – from Kanyeâs Jackson Hole, Wyoming listening party – indicated that Kanye was mostly rapping about trashy reality show drama involving the Kardashian-Jenners. Some have hailed YE as a masterpiece, but some reviews are more critical. Anyway, hereâs the cover of the album:
Yeezyâs back.
Stream #ye on TIDAL: https://t.co/tQCSZ1BSqR pic.twitter.com/LrOLetvmev
— TIDAL (@TIDAL) June 1, 2018
If you remember, during Kanyeâs deplorable meltdown a few months ago, he repeatedly insisted that what was going on with him didnât involve mental illness. He claimed his 2016 breakdown was caused by opiod addiction, which⌠I mean, as I said at the beginning, Kanye is no longer a reliable narrator for his own life. Apparently, Kanye now claims that he was only recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder:
âI had never been diagnosed until I was 39,â Kanye West said during an interview recorded with radio host Big Boy following the 40-year-old rapperâs Wyoming listening party for his new album YE. After clarifying that he was diagnosed with a âmental condition,â West added, âBut like I said on the album, itâs not a disability, itâs a superpower.â
Although the musician declined to specify what he had been diagnosed with during the interview, West had already confirmed on his new album that he is bipolar, calling it his âsuperpower.â In the interview, West also revealed that following the backlash he got for suggesting slavery is âa choiceâ during an interview with TMZ, he âcompletely redid the albumâ and even âtook out a barâ referencing the controversial topic.
âIt was just too sensitive,â West explained, adding that he felt âso blessed and privileged because think about people that have mental issues that are not Kanye West, that canât go and make [an album] and make it feel like itâs all good. Think about somebody that does exactly what I did at TMZ and they just do that at work, right? But then Tuesday morning, they come in and they lost their job and they canât go back and make that. Thatâs why God put that on me at age 40,â he continued.
âThatâs why God put that on me at age 40.â Let me tell you something, Kanye: you have been bipolar for YEARS. This wasnât something that just happened last year, and you didnât *JUST* become bipolar. Maybe itâs true that he wasnât diagnosed until last year, but I sort of doubt it, because – again! – Kanye is an unreliable narrator. As for Kanye making the album to raise awareness of mental health issues and how people shouldnât be fired from their jobs when theyâre off their medication and ranting and raving about how slavery is a choice⌠wellâŚ??? I have a lot of thoughts but Iâll keep them to myself.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instagram.
He’s clearly not medicated, or refusing his meds. My father has a severe case of bipolar disorder and he refused medication until the last 5 years. My family could not live with him, I left home at 18, it’s just impossible to try to reason and deal with a bi polar person who refuses treatment. He really needs to get his sh*t together for the sake of his 3 kids because growing up with an erratic mess like Kanye, and when Kim K is also your mom, is going to be disastrous for those kids.
I was working in one office with a bipolar person for 7 years. A person who went off of their medication like every other month. I almost became crazy myself, had to quit the job. I feel you, hope your father is doing better now.
No wonder he and 45 are so chummy, they canât keep their lies and stories straight
He has absolutely no respect for anyone. Mental issues are extremely serious and his statements about it are so ignorant. He probably believes it’s a gift that makes him so unique.
What upsets me the most is that when Britney was diagnosed and went through her breakdown, she was treated do badly and she hasn’t said 1% of the shit Kanye said in the past weeks.
He actually aknowledges his privilege towards that. I think people who actually live what they are talking about are entitled to their opinions. Of course he thinks it’s a gift, he (brilliantly) re-did an entire album within two weeks thanks to being manic.
He does address the privilege, so there’s that, and he’s not wrong. But the curious thing to me is that you’d think Britney Spears would have had similar privilege but she didn’t. I’m wondering if it’s because she’s a woman, or maybe because she didn’t come on the scene as a “deep thinker/ARTISTE”. People still make fun of her to this day. A year from now, most people will probably have forgotten about this Kanye mess and he’ll just be Kanye again.
The bars on this album are trash the worst of his career , so I wouldn’t say he brilliantly rewrote it, .. He should have spent more time on this and maybe got in touch with one of the cowriters he alienated with his recent antics. He may be a brilliant producer but left to his own devices he’s a subpar lyricist.
Because she was a woman.
Imo, it’s not what britney said. Having and saying ignorant opinions are still a ways from shaving your head and umbrella attacking in front of paps. Watching that was way scarier than watching this.
Meh. Kanye already attacked paps and random people violently years ago he got away with it.. The difference is he’s seen as worthy of the culture. Britney was just some teeny bopper also she was a mother and it was seen as inappropriate for a mother to act like this apparently it’s ok if you are a man. There’s definetly some misogyny involved.. If a black woman acted like Kanye she would have been cancelled a long time ago. Especially by all the white men who worships Kanye.
Britney was also doing some odd things in public with the children, it seemed really unsafe to let her drive the car. What finally got Britney hospitalized was when she refused to hand over the kids (she had 50/50 custody). Iâve heard that Federline had to make the 911 call himself, which if true means that she said something on the phone that scared the hell out of him. If he had any growing up still to do, that did it.
During the period when the judge said no visitation, Federline allowed the kids to visit her with some conditions: that she not drive with the children and that a grandparent be present at all times. She was really in a very bad state. Federline never said anything bad about her, and repeatedly said he hoped to go back to 50/50 custody once she was recovered. The fact that this apparently hasnât happened tells me she isnât fully recovered.
Anyway – Kanyeâs manic behavior hasnât been while heâs in charge of kids, and this is probably often true of male celebrities in general under similar situations. Women, including female celebrities, are more likely to have children with them while going off the rails. This might be more of a factor in the apparent gender difference between how men and women are perceived under such conditions.
I canât believe how quickly people forget his violent episodes. He literally got hospitalised in 2016 because he attacked someone in his entourage I believe it was his trainer. I definetly think people make excuses for his behaviour almost no matter what he does. He went full maga and his album still tops the charts.
I can’t figure out how to reply back to tamra but I agree with a lot of your points, especially the black woman part. But, something about those britney days, driving around with the baby in her lap, up to the umbrella incident was scarier than this, to me. I’m not arguing that kanye hasn’t gotten violent. Just that, it doesn’t seem like he’s at that place where a judge would rule in favor of a conservatorship, yet. But, he’s definitely getting there.
@Char and Tamara, I think both of you might be onto something. It does seem like mental illness of female public figures gets exploited in a different way than male mental illness does.
I agree, but I also think that what plays a role is how the celeb was perceived before the episode. Britney was the good girl who sexed it up then turned crazy (sorry for the word). Kanye is perceived as crazy since a decade already. His image didn’t change so brutally, but maybe I’m biased. And in a way, Britney paved the way for Kanye (and maybe others like Amanda Bynes). Her very public meltdown was the first of this kind I think? It helped raised awareness and mentalities has evolved since 11 years.
Heâs so…exhausting. Talk about high maintenance.
You do have to wonder.
I deal with a relative with mental illness (schizoaffective disorder with bipolar features, though AFAIK the treatment is the same, heâs had multiple diagnoses.)
My relative gets treated way better than an impoverished person would with the same condition. If heâd had the skill levels of a Kanye West (he thinks he does in his manic states, but…) how long would it have been before somebody said, âYeah, this isnât healthy.â
Yeah, this is going to end badly. Any of us who’ve been involved with someone with this disease knows how devastating it is to entire families.
It’s entirely possible that he was only diagnosed within the last year or so. I’ve been bipolar my whole life, but my shrink declined to officially diagnose me due to my addiction issues. It’s sometimes very difficult to distinguish what behaviors are the result of addiction, vs what behaviors are a result of mental illness.
I would love to know some of the symptoms. My aunt sometimes falls into depression, and she has some anger and narcissistic tendencies. She’s by no means a bad person but she always feels like the victim and like everyone is against or jealous of her. It is really hard to live with her. The only time she seems stable is when her mind is busy and goes to work but it’s hard for her to keep a job. And the sad part is that she doesn’t want to go to therapy, she thinks is only for “crazy” people.
It’s hard for me to answer that, for a couple of reasons. 1) There are a LOT of disorders that are considered to be within the bipolar spectrum, and 2) I have several co-occurring disorders (Hooray :-/), so it’s often damn near impossible to tell where one ends and another begins. When I’m manic, my thoughts race, I’m frenetically active w/o actually accomplishing anything, and tend to be super irritable. The depressive side tends to leave me barely functional. It’s often too much effort to get out of bed, let alone shower and get dressed. I sleep (and drink) a LOT. I basically DGAF about anything.
My BF is very opposed to therapy, too. But one thing I told him that made him (somewhat) reconsider was that I found it helpful to have an unbiased 3rd party who could function as a sounding board, and a reality check. He seemed to “get” that.
I wish you and your Aunt well, Steph!
Steph, have you read the symptoms of the four types of Narcissistic Personality Disorder? That might be a fit.
I have a relative with NPD. My spouse & I eventually had to cease all contact, as hard as that was. We had strong support from a therapist during that time, as we decided how to protect our own mental health and our kids.
My MIL with NPD also refuses to see a therapist for very long, because she “doesn’t have a problem” — the people around her do. We can tell every time she quits a new therapist because she starts acting out — calling a million times, leaving angry voicemails, writing angry emails, calling my family, calling us at work. Other than a message saying: “This is not okay. You cannot contact me at work”, we have been encouraged not to respond because, like a child, she’ll figure out which inappropriate behavior gets a response and keep using it. It’s truly exhausting sometimes.
I also have a couple family members with Borderline Personality Disorder. We’re still in contact, but I’ve had to work on setting my own boundaries and not taking on their issues. They both get paranoid, and have drastic, sudden mood swings and addiction issues.
I grew up in a very “enmeshed” family. After a lot of therapy and healing work, now I try to focus on what’s most important for me and my immediate family and put those needs first, even if it makes extended family angry or sad. I try not to engage in the drama and maintain good support for myself. It’s hard and I’m not perfect, but it’s much better than before.
Hugs to you and good luck!
I think heâs known for years that he is bipolar. It sounds to me that he is still in denial. I think itâs extremely careless and irresponsible for him to categorize his bipolar disorder as a superpower.
100% agree
I can understand wanting to reclaim what is considered a pathology. As someone who’s struggled with depression, it’s hard not to think of yourself as broken or a burden to people around you. It’s taken me years to understand that while it’s not ideal, there are weirdly positive aspects that can come out of these illnesses.
1000% agree!
I suspect that Kanye may also avoid medication because he’s concerned that it will affect his creativity. I know a well-known author who does the same — he’s concerned that the meds will interfere with his creativity and productiveness. He does periodically go on meds after he has a difficult phase or when those around him push for it — or when the lack of boundaries in his behavior start to cause public problems.
I agree with you M4lificent. I’ve lived with this awful illness for 23 years and during those years I’ve taken part in many group therapy sessions for people with bipolar disorder. In these groups I met many creative people – writers, painters, actors etc – who were very worried about the way their medication affected their creativity. For them, it wasn’t only about their job/income, it was a huge part of their personality, who they are as a person.
Quite often I heard people say that when they’re not on (for example) lithium, their creativity soars but they end up destroying everything and everyone around them. And when they are on lithium they lose the connection to their creativity and it feels like a huge chunk of their personality and life and self has been cut away. So it is kind of a constant battle between two bad options.
I don’t have a creative bone in my body so my personal problems with bipolar disorder are different but I do think I get what they were explaining. However, I’m not justifying anything Kanye has said or done. I’ve never liked his music and I resent the way he makes us bipolars look so bad. There already is a huge stigma associated with this disorder, we don’t need any Kanyes to make it worse.
Yeah, no. And Kim chose to keep having children w him. Like Kourtney close to continue having children w Scott. Wtf is wrong w these people?
$$$.
That’s what is wrong with those people.
Exactly.
Yes.
Based on Kanye’s behavior, Kim should have never had one child with him, let alone three.
We all know Kim and Kanye aren’t parenting those kids. I feel bad for the nannies. Can you imagine working under the craziness going on in that home.
Kanye will never be cancelled, it’s time to accept it.
I don’t recall critics calling ye a masterpiece outside from ktt, because it’s not, it’s just a solid, pleasant and brilliant album done in 2 weeks. The other album was entirely scrapped. I hope I can hear it one day. Kanye must have a hell of a vault with all the material he scrapped over the years…
Repeat
His sexuality?
Kanye sell albums because his albums are great. If anything, all the controversies he initiates make him lose money.
We knew for years that something wasn’t right with my mother, but it took until my mother was 60 for the doctor to diagnose her as bipolar. When she thinks she’s doing well, she stops taking her medicine because she thinks she’s completely cured. Seeing her crying and depressed one day, and telling strange lies and losing her temper so easily the next day is tough to deal with. I feel bad for anyone with this illness or close to a person with it.
I hear you. I told my mom for years that she had ADD, but she was not diagnosed until she was about 75, several years ago ( and refused treatment ). I think for people who have gotten along for a long time with mental illness, there is reluctance on the part of providers to diagnose, based on insurance repercussions. At least that was the case with my mother.
I have ADD but I didn’t have treatment, however I had therapy and that works for me. In the meantime, I have to be assessed just in case because I need a job or going to college. That being said, I think Kanye West danger to himself and his children. His wife is an enabler and downright greedy. I feel sorry for their children.
Don’t get me wrong, I am done with Kanye West and his ignorant and stupid antics but I will stand up for people who are struggling with any part of mental health issues and people who are marginalised. Once again, I am done with Kanye West and his wife.
I only was diagnosed at 23ish with ADD. I had good grades in school, was a pretty well behaved kid, and my dad has more signs of it than I ever did. So it was never really looked at. But it also explains why I was AWFUL when it came to studying (lucked out and can only remember a handful of times where I studied for anything prior to college) when I got to college. I have such a short attention span. My job started suffering because it was very number based, and I had to handle website changes, emails and phone calls and I just had such a hard time re-focusing on my task once I’d had to shift gears with a call. I can hyper focus on things – I spent a lot of time powering through papers in college. But it was always at the last minute and because I HAD to. I would get so focused on getting them done at that point that I’d forget to eat or whatever else. I also get easily flustered and agitated. Occasionally explosive temper over stupid things (I’ve reigned that in so much as an adult). I can’t not fidget around with things that are in my reach. I’m currently swiveling back and forth in my desk chair haha, and was just playing with a pen. I get bored incredibly easily both at work and home, even when I have things that I should/could be doing.
I take medication for it now – and it’s a big difference. I’m not taking a high dose at all, but it’s enough to keep me balanced out for the most part for work. At the same time – I refuse to believe that those hyper-focused last minute paper writing times weren’t amazing work. It’s awful, but I would almost get a slight rush and harness it to be able to really focus out of fear of missing a deadline.
23 of course isn’t nearly the same as 70. But ultimately I get it.
I believe that he was just diagnosed last year…I also believe that he needs to take some time off and get himself a consistent psychotropic meds treatment program along with talking therapy…and get his mind and body aligned…Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening…and I don’t know how this is going to play out…in a good way…other than that…he’s SO CANCELLED! Basically, I only cape for the music he made BEFORE he hooked up with the Kardashians anyway…because THAT is his best!
I donât believe this at all. My guess is he was diagnosed at some point when his mother was still alive and previously medicated. It just seems very unlikely that 2016 would be the first time that he would have an incident during the course of his entire life living with this condition unmedicated. He just seems embarrassed and in denial.
Yea…I’m telling you…I HIGHLY doubt that he went to doctors about his mental health…ESPECIALLY when he was younger living in Chicago…where he displayed ALL of the issues that he’s displaying now…ALL. OF. THEM! Folks could BARELY get Kanye to go to the doctor to properly treat his broken jaw bone after the horrific accident back in the day…So no, I bet a trillion dollars that he JUST got diagnosed with ALL of this like he said…and I will say this also…that is the ONE good thing to come out of dealing with the Kardashians…they made him get the help that he’s needed…FOR YEARS…
Eh. I feel like his mom was the only person that seemed to be able to somewhat control him before and one of a very small number of people that truly seemed to have his best interests at heart and I feel like it he were ranting and raving like he has been of late she would pressure him into talking with someone.
Lala – I donât think the Kardashians pushed Kanye to get help. His friends waited until Kim and her kin were safely far far away at a NYC event before getting him hospitalized during an acute episode including serious sleep deprivation.
If Kim had been there, it is very likely she would have prevented the hospitalization. Not good for the brand. Look at the awful way she has treated her brother, who is a bundle of various now-diagnosed disorders. She thought he should just shape up and stop getting fat, rather than acknowledging the real difficulties with mental health that he was having. Kim undoubtedly believes Kanye when he claims his manic episodes are just his creative periods.
I would not call Conye, a mad Genius, he is too dumb for that.
Maybe too many ‘YES’ people around him, blowing smoke up his behind.
Using mental illness, as an excuse to say nonsense, to sell albums,
Until he deals with his sexuality and race, this will be his normal.
I LOVE the name you gave him!!!
It’s perfect ~ they should be Kon and Konye ; )
I would say classifying it as a superpower is pretty accurate. My partner is BP2 and unmedicated. Being able to harness mania to produce something is incredible – so many artists and great minds have been diagnosed as BP, and it’s fair to say that they way their mind works is a superpower. It is also very damaging to the people around them who are the collateral damage to their whims, feelings, paranoia, self-absorption, anger and unpredictable moods.
The cover quote is something my partner says all the time – it’s an incredible gift and a horrible nightmare.
I was diagnosed bipolar @ age 30 (I’m 43 now.) Like many, many others, I too believed Kanye was manic for a looooong time prior to his actual diagnosis. IMHO, he’s either not taking his meds as prescribed or he is on the wrong meds/dosage, ’cause recent events prove he still has many a manic episode. I think he likes having these bouts of mania (his “superpower”). All I can say is that I used to love my manic episodes, too! Soooo much energy! So many IMPORTANT THOUGHTS, y’all. Sleep? Nope! Who needs it? Who had time? Then several days later, the crash. The anxiety from the insomnia caught up to me, sending me into a suicidal tailspin – sometimes corrected w/meds & rest, sometimes w/a hospital stay. Kanye’s loving his up moments way too much to willingly level himself off, IMO. He’ll eventually learn (maybe). His resources allow him the option of not needing ‘normalcy.’ Took me 10 years after my diagnosis to right my own ship – that was after a 20+ year opioid addiction. Got hooked on pain pills because they leveled me off far better than my psych meds (or so I thought…never realized narcotics made it worse). Sorry to dwell on my own experiences, but Kanye’s kinda-sorta following the bipolar ‘textbook,’ if you will. I’m absolutely NOT excusing his idiotic behavior, though. He needs consequences for his actions/words.
Thank you for sharing your personal information.
I’m happy to hear you’ve found the treatments that have helped you.
Yeah, my aunt had the same issue for a long time. The mania was too good to medicate away for her, and I guess she felt it was worth the crash later. When she is manic, itâs like sheâs on meth or something.
One time she was at my house and my laptop screen was blacking out. She took apart my entire laptop, put it back together, and handed me a handful of screws that she couldnât find a place for (it ended up cracking all over because of course those screws did have a purpose.) She finally left at 3 am, just as hyper as she was when she got there 12 hours earlier.
I can see why that kind of energy would be enjoyable and hard to let go of, even when it is destructive to those around you. She still goes off of her meds every once in awhile, but she is much better than she used to be.
The timeline is consistent with the hospitalisation. I believe him.
I have suspected for a few years that my boyfriend may be bipolar. He abuses drugs so its hArd to tell if his mood swings are from that…He can be really manically happy and does things like obsessively post on facebook and usually starts to make bad decisions because he is so high and fearless. Even if he isnt on drugs he will seem so happy like he is high on something… he literally will jump up and down like a child and start running around..
but i know there is a depression/anger under the surface, then he crashes and burns and is mean depressed and miserable for a week. Nothing brings him out of this slump besides drugs most of the time
I dont know..wish he would see a doctor
He may be. From experience I can tell you that you may not be able to do anything to help him. Living with a person who abuses drugs is extremely time/energy consuming for the partner. I hope you are ok and taking care of yourself.
This stuff is all symptoms of bipolar (including the reluctance to seek help and the feeling that they can do anything) so I have trouble faulting him got a mental illness. That said, my mom was bipolar and I hope he gets all the help he needs and stays on his meds for his familyâs sake.
He will be 41 on June 8th.I believe he was diagnosed when he had that breakdown in 2016,when he was 39.He had probably never seen a psychologist or psychiatrist before the breakdown.
That’s unnacurate, he has known for years…
Pretty sure he rapped about being bipolar a long time ago. I think he just coming out with this now to get some sympathy from all the liberals he alienated with the Maga shit. It’s a marketing ploy.
He rapped about refusing to take his lexapro years ago, so, he’s been knowing something was off mentally.
Lexapro is also used for other disorders, so maybe Kanye is telling the truth? Speaking as someone who was diagnosed with BP2 at 26, while in the military, it was a relief. I finally knew why I did the things I did. I’ve been on meds (various ones) over the years but could tell Kanye was manic in the last couple of months. Once you’ve been mad at yourself, you know the signs in others.
I wish him luck because after trying every psychiatric drug on the market over the past 20 years, some working, some not; I considered getting electroconvulsive therapy for my depression. But after reading Carrie Fisher’s book decided against it. I wouldn’t wish this disease on my worst enemy. So I hope Kanye finds peace and help.
Kanye is NOT cancelled. His album was no 1 on iTunes in 41 countries. I said it here that black problematic men like Kanye can get away with anything without consequences and someone here said I must be out of my mind. Rkelly is still making millions despite abusing black girls for years. He’s still not cancelled.
This pisses me off, probably because the Trumps do it all the him… Deny something and then confirm it later as if you’d never denied it. Kim made a big post about how we should all be ashamed for speculating that his behavior is due to a mental disorder (i believe it’s personality and bipolar disorder) when it’s just him being a GENIUS. They can both be cancelled.
It could have been both-his addiction could have exacerbated his mental health issues to the point where something spiraled way out of control. People with bipolar, like myself, often turn to substance abuse to self-medicate.
So this means that while Kim was lecturing us not to discuss his mental state, heâs just ~artistic~ she actually knew full well that he was in the middle of a manic episode? I know his treatment is not her responsibility, but I canât see how that helps him at all.
Finally listened to “YE” the other day and I liked it, but it wasn’t his best. You could tell it was put together in two weeks. Would have liked to have heard the original album before he scrapped it. On the bright side, he did Kid Cudi’s new album that comes out in a couple days.
I am not streaming his music anymore. Cancelled means not supporting him at all.
Yeah we already knew this. It was very obvious he was bipolar, he exhibited all the frenetic behavior my friend with BPD exhibited (I had to cut ties for my own sanity because she was also so emotionally immature like Kanye and I gave up reasoning with her). Actually now that I think about it my friend and Kanye are literally the same person–the easily hurt feelings, the lashing out and always playing the victim, the manic behavior and constantly changing things and details around at the last minute, the inability to carry on a conversation in a linear fashion, it all fits. At least nobody can yell at us for speculating about Kanye’s mental health anymore but it was so incredibly obvious he had BPD. It was never a question in my mind.
This man is so condescending! When I started reading the quote âthink about people that have mental issues that are not Kanye West, that canât go and make [an album] and make it feel like itâs all good.â I somehow thought he would say people who are less privileged or who donât have insurance. No he says ppl who are not Kanye West and canât make an album and make it feel all good… WTF???!!
He is SO CANCELLED. I donât care if he gave away a $1K check with his album. I have never and will never buy or listen to anything from this delusional, egotistical person.
I’ve been bipolar my whole life. A school psychiatrist alerted my parents to it when I was around 12 or so. My parents? Wonderful people (truly). But since “mental illness” was still a taboo back then (1990s — not THAT long ago), my parents got pissed at the psychiatrist, yelled at her that “they” were good parents and that I wasn’t “crazy.”
So, for 20+ years, I had to navigate having a mental health difference, but couldn’t get help. It was a nightmare that led to terrible behavior and self medicating.
Only in my late 30s was I able to AFFORD the help I actually needed.
So, I’m not shading Kanye on this. Am I a fan still? No. He has to recognize. But, we do need to do a better job of having more compassion for “people of a certain age” who DO have mental health differences and are just starting to deal in middle age.
Whoop de Poop scoopity Whoop de scoop?
@JennyJenny: Thank you for your kind words.