Ever since T.I. rapped “you had a bad idea and you makin’ it worse” on his and Kanye’s “Ye vs. the People,” I’ve found ways to apply that statement to so many facets of life. It was so apt and simple and profound that it really encapsulates everything going on in the world of Kanye West right now.
Love him or hate him, he’s generating conversation (and, let’s be real, page views) like a motherfucker. In some ways, the conversation he’s generating can be considered positive because at least we’re all talking about substantive things, to a degree.
Unfortunately, though (for Yeezy, anyway), the end result is a lot of people taking to their streaming services and metaphorically burning their Kanye playlists (at least publicly, you know you’re just waiting to find out it’s a joke so you can bump Late Registration again, minus “We Major,” damn you, Nas!).
So it was only a matter of time before radio stations attempted to get into the act of making a statement. Truth be told, radio stations probably need to chill. Kanye shared an uninformed, not-well-thought-out, inarticulate statement, and his Trump advocacy is giving all of us the red ass. But ultimately, that’s his opinion, and I can take it or leave it. He is entitled to it. Radio stations’ bread and butter consists of separating art from the artists; otherwise they’d just play silence all day long.
So when Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce decided to wade into the waters of holding artists accountable, it probably should have thought that through a little more. To wit, as Detroit’s WJBK-TV reports:
105.1 The Bounce, a throwback hip-hop and R&B station, announced Thursday morning they won’t be playing [Kanye’s] music anymore. They went live on Facebook while Shay Shay and BiGG discussed the issue on their morning show.
“Why can’t we make a statement? In the small fish that we are, to say, I don’t want to hear Kanye right now. I don’t want to play his music; I don’t want to hear him on our show,” Shay Shay said.
“As of this moment, we will #MuteKanye on the Morning Bounce and we will not play any of Kanye West’s music, music that he’s featured on, music that he raps on, none of his throwbacks. We are banning Kanye West’s music from this radio station,” BiGG added.
OK. What else you got?
“I think it’s reckless and irresponsible to use your platform in this type of way,” [Shay Shay] said, addressing Kanye. “I get that I’m a small fish in the ocean, but on my platform I feel like it’s important to make a statement.”
Hey, Shay Shay and ’nem, I think it’s cool that you’re making a statement, and I’m gon’ let you finish, but as WJBK reports, “One Detroit woman” has a question for you:
One Detroit woman called in and asked, too, if they ever considered banning Chris Brown or R. Kelly’s music like many suggested on social media across the country after their controversies.
Good question. Who are they again?
Chris Brown was convicted of assaulting Rihanna when she was his girlfriend in 2009, and R. Kelly has long been accused of behavior ranging from questionable to criminal. He wed a 15-year-old Aaliyah in 1994. He was later accused of child pornography after a widely circulated videotape appeared to show him having sex with, and urinating on, a teenage girl. He was acquitted of all charges in 2008 and continued to rack up hits and sell out stadiums around the country. More women continue to come forward, though, alleging misconduct against Kelly.
Oh, right. That’s crazy. What Shay Shay say to that?
Shay Shay said she agreed with the suggestion but didn’t say if they would be muting their music also. [Emphasis mine.]
Gotdammit, Shay Shay.