Kanye "All Falls Down"

​When it all falls down...who will be there to pick up the pieces for Mr. West? Will it be you? How invested are you in Kanye West? Are you just as concerned about your aunt, mother or your estranged father as you are about Kanye West's political rhetoric? While I was sitting and watching the Charlamagne and Kanye West interview, I thought about how many people like Chance The Rapper who said: "Kanye is in a good space". All I could do is shake my head in disbelief. People ain't shit, yeah I said it. Kanye's most recent interview with CTG was one of the worst representation I have seen of him. During the interview, Kanye seemed to struggle to stay grounded in thought before lifting off into a ramble of hyperbole. Because we live in a filler sound bite society many people took Mr. West's hazy thoughts as wisdom handed down by the gods. Mental illness is a joke in this country. So much of a joke that rappers and rockers historically have pretended to be "crazy" as a way to be seen as cool. There is a long history of Black people breaking down before the public's eyes from Whitney Houston, 2Pac, Mariah Carey, Martin Lawrence, Michael Jackson to Kanye West. When Charlamagne asked Kanye West "What caused you to lose your confidence?" Mr. West was unable to answer the question.

Many people watching the interview seemed to miss that moment. Kanye West hesitated with many of his answers. Despite how we may feel about the Kardashians Kanye is like many Black people who suffer from internalized stress and pressure. The pressure to not only succeed the fear of failure and also living in a racially antagonizing society. 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, several factors play a role in Black men not seeking mental health services, including cultural biases and access to health care services. An estimated one-quarter of African-Americans seek mental health care compared with 40 percent of white Americans. As reported  by David R. Williams, Ph.D.; Hector M. González, Ph.D.; Harold Neighbors, PhD

In fact, racism is so pervasive in this country that the very health of Black folks is at risk. ​

"Among developed nations, the United States has the worst rates of maternal and infant mortality (MMR and IMR, respectively). Disaggregated data show that wide racial disparities drive the United States’ abysmal record in birth outcomes. Based on data compiled from 2011 through 2013, for every 100,000 live births in America, 43.5 black mothers die. By comparison, 12.7 non-Hispanic white mothers die for every 100,00 live births.4 Further, for every 100,000 live births in America, 11.7 infants born to black mothers die, compared with 4.8 infants born to non-Hispanic white mothers." - Danyelle Solomon

Watching Kanye West continue his downward spiral while being chained to the hips of possibly one of the most exploitive families in pop culture is disheartening. Many Black folks saw Kanye's story as the perfect comeback story for the underdog. Listening to Kanye West in his early years was just pure motivation. People felt so connected to Kanye that many felt his pain when he suffered the loss of his mother. As we watched Kanye West struggle to stay afloat mentally we understood that Mr. West would never be the same again. Kanye West may never get the type of help that he truly needs. If you happen to have family and friends who suffer from mental illness or if you suffer from high levels of stress seek assistance. Talk those family and friends, seek counsel in people who about you or a professional.  ​
www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/reports/2018/04/18/449774/racism-evergreen-toxin-killing-black-mothers-infants/
jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/482214

​-Prince Solomon