Does Kanye West Make A Good Point?!?

Matt Lauer & Kanye West

The always lovely Mr. Kanye West appeared on the Today Show two weeks ago. He sat down with the Today Show host, Matt Lauer, to speak out about all his controversial actions that took place within the past few years. Kanye was also on the Today Show promoting his new album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (which is AWESOME by the way). Unfortunately, controversy always follows Mr. West, seeing as the Today Show interview did not go so well with Matt Lauer.


Kanye West appeared on the show, hoping to revive his image and address issues such as his controversial statement in which he called George W. Bush a racist on live TV during the Katrina fiasco.  You all remember that when he said..."George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People"...refresh your memory? Just in case it doesn't..watch the video below.




Kanye was also on the Today Show to speak about his infamous microphone grab from country sweetheart (but in my eyes country night mere) Taylor Swift at the MTV Music Video Awards last year in which he said "Taylor imma let you finish, BUT Beyonce had one of the best music videos of ALL TIME". Just in case you want to visit this memorable moment. Here is the video below:)




Now that you are all caught up about Mr. West's past controversies, let's get back to the disastrous Today Show interview. Here's how it all went down. Matt Lauer asks Kanye about the George W. Bush comments, seeing as Bush spoke out in a interview with Matt Lauer claiming that Kanye's comments were the lowest point in his whole presidency. When Kanye was answering the question, the Today Show played the interview clip where George Bush tears up. Kanye West had a problem with them playing the clip to "prompt" his emotions. He said he didn't need all the TV jazz.

The next point where Kanye feels the Today Show is being inappropriate or trying to present him in a negative light is when the they played the clip of the Taylor Swift incident while Kanye was talking. Kanye stops and asks how he is supposed to talk while they are playing the clip.


After the Today Show interview Kanye West vented his frustrations on his Twitter page. This is what he had to say about the Today Show. (There's a lot of them)

"I went up there to express how I was empathetic to Bush because I labeled him a racist and years later I got labeled as a racist,"

"While I was trying to give the interview they started playing the 'MTV' under me with audio!!!!!!!," he wrote, before firing off a string of emotionally charged tweets about his hurt feelings. "I don't mess with Matt Lauer or the Today Show ... and that's a very nice way for me to put it! ... HE TRIED TO FORCE MY ANSWERS. IT WAS VERY BRUTAL AND I CAME THERE WITH ONLY POSITIVE INTENT ... I feel very alone very used very tortured very forced very misunderstood very hollow very very misused ...



"I don't trust anyone but myself! Everyone has an agenda. I don't do press anymore. I can't be everything to everybody anymore ... I can't be every body's hero and villain savior and sinner Christian and anti Christ! ... I can't take anymore advice!!! I create, I'm creative, I have a good heart, everyone will see and understand one day."


 "Everything sounds like noise !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" again lamenting that he can't trust anyone and saying he felt "very judged," scrutinized and criticized. "I want everyone to know I have lows all the time but I make it through them!"

He continued lashing out at Lauer, asking if he "thought that sh-- was cool ... He played clips of Bush and asked me to look at his face while I was trying to talk to him. I wish Michael Jackson had twitter!!!!!!"
"This is rock and roll life my people ... you can't stop the truth you can't stop the music and I have to be strong or 'they' win!!!!"


Kanye West also cancelled his Today Show performance that was supposed to take place the next day. But the real question is about this whole situation is does Kanye West have a legitimate point about how the media tries to construct and shape the image of an individual in a certain light? Was it necessary for the Today Show to play the clips while Kanye West on the show or did the Today Show play the clip in order to give the audience context about the incidents? Did the clips of George Bush and the Taylor Swift during the interview act as a reminder of what Kanye West did and did it just reinforce what he did? This example shows how most interviews are conducted in the media, where Kanye went on the show to clear his image but instead came off looking worse than he did.


Kanye West & Taylor Swift

 I give him kudos for saying something and speaking up as most people would just sit there and take it. He refers to playing the clips as "TV jazz", which is interesting because isn't that was the media is essentially? Sensationalistic and overshadowed by so much "other" stuff that steers the viewer away from the actual story. In this interview, do you think there should have just been a standard sit-down interview back and forth with no clips? Was playing the clips considered as a form of propaganda?

The Today Show definitely enjoyed the controversy and played off of it. It kind of seems like the Today Show wanted a reaction out of West and they promoted the interview based on his outburst instead of the actuality of what he was saying about his past. The whole point of why he did the interview was totally dismissed and was focused on him speaking up about playing the clips.

I think the media has the power to construct and frame everything to their liking, very easily, by playing clips during an interview to remind the viewers of his actions. Watch the interview and you be the critic. Was Kanye West overreacting or was he making a legitimate claim against how the media operates? Watch the video below. You be the judge.