Ernest Owens rips into Kanye West's new single at the Huffington Post, lamenting that the singer knows more than other rappers, yet "does nothing to fix the problem."
Everyone has that one cousin in the family that never tends to shut up at the dinner table.
They complain about how the world is wicked and how all of us are just pawns in the middle of it. Some of what they say is enlightening, insightful, and makes sense. Yet, a lot of it gets mumbled in between blatant disrespectful rants and overblown ignorance. When it comes to hip-hop and mainstream music, that cousin would be Kanye West.
When I heard that his new single entitled "New Slaves" was being blasted on the screens of 66 walls of major cities around the world, all I could say was "oh, boy." As talented as Mr. West has been as a producer and recording artist, I find that many of his antics are just a cry out for attention in a state of anger and hysteria. There is no doubt that his lyrics speak various levels of truth, but there is also a level of disconnection I get from the way he goes about it.
When I finally heard the new track, I was pissed to say the very least. Sure, Kanye points out the issues that take root with modern-day racism. Sure, being a black man in America myself, I can resonate with some of his lyrics in that song. However, when I think about the concept of "New Slaves" and the larger audience of listeners that will hear it, there comes a new profound hypocrisy that Mr. West is responsible for.
Read Ernest Owens' entire piece at the Huffington Post.
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