A lot of the time, Kanye West’s statements have been characterised as nonsensical and erratic – and now the Chicago legend will be examined in a university lecture linking him to notions about mental illness.
Professor Jeffrey McCune teaches at Washington University at St Louis, and will close his trilogy of Yeezy-based lectures with one titled Name One Genius That Ain’t Crazy: Kanye West and the Politics of Self-Diagnosis. The lecture takes its name from a line rapped by West himself in ‘Feedback’ – and will discuss the differing concept of being ‘crazy’ with reference to race, gender and sexuality. “Ultimately what I’m getting at in this lecture is not just about Kanye, it’s also about the larger notion of crazy and how we utilise it,” McCune said.
“I want to give people permission to be enraged. Give people permission to be upset, to be angry, to be frustrated. Give people permission to have moments where they break. Give people permission to have moments where they experience depression. I want to give them permission to have those moments without being characterised as being some type of deviant figure in the community. I don’t want to take away that experience and call it crazy. It’s reasonable. And it must be addressed with love, compassion, care, generosity,” he continued.
If you’re in the area, feel free to attend the lecture which is open to all and will cost you zero dollars. Join Professor McCune and students at the Emerson Auditorium at Washington University, with activities commencing at 6:00pm on April 12. We’re expecting at least some of the classic Kanye moments below to be discussed in-depth:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z8gCZ7zpsQ&t=2s
