Dear Kanye West,
I've purchased a few of your singles over time. I've swung my hips to your rather upbeat music while partying in clubs with friends in London. I've even stomped my feet in time to your tunes while sitting on the side of the catwalk. In October 2011, I wrote a rather lengthy piece defending your first fashion collection. Your love of fashion was admirable. When you could be doing anything with your cash, you were choosing to use fashion as an outlet for your creativity. Who could find fault with that?
Lately, however, your actions have made me question not only my support for you as an artist, it's also made me question your sanity. Time after time you are quoted as believing you are quite literally king of the world. Lesser claims have seen people institutionalized. But because we are a society that enjoys watching people fall from grace, we look on and write about your ridiculous claims all the while waiting for you to officially fall to the floor, where the masses will be waiting to write about your path to self-destruction. These sort of crazy antics sell papers and I'm sure your PR machine is telling you that you are doing an excellent job. Your column inches are stacking up and the Kanye West name is spreading like wildfire.
Your latest antics, however, have made you look like a complete and utter narcissist. On a recent radio interview in New York City, you announced a rather sad exchange with Louis Vuitton:
“While I was in Paris I wanted to meet the head of Louis Vuitton and he said ‘I don’t understand why we need to meet with you?’ I said let me explain to you why you need to meet with me - Everybody in New York City right now, don’t buy any Louis Vuitton until after January… Now do you wanna meet with me? Influence… they think that I don’t realize my power.”"
Kanye, Kanye, Kanye... did you in fact have an answer for why you wanted to meet with them? Or were you insulted by the fact they would even question a meeting. If it's the latter, it's time for a serious reality check...
Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854. They have shown that they know how to run a business, their product has stood the test of time. You, Kanye West, were founded in 2004 when your first album was released. That means Louis Vuitton has a 150 year jump on you. They sort of have a right to tell you to go pound sand. Their brand name is still more recognizable than yours, no matter how much that might disturb you. They've also never been accused of beating up paparazzi, ridden naked on a mock motorcycle with their girlfriend for a video or claimed to have started a trend involving leather jogging pants. Again, Louis Vuitton coming out tops here.
If anything, your little rant has me want to walk into my local Louis Vuitton and drop more cash than ever. What you still haven't clocked is that your brand shout outs are backfiring. Just in mentioning the brand's name, you are giving them massive exposure. This has happened repeatedly over the past few months. You've shouted about Fendi, about Zappos, had a go at Jimmy Kimmel, and the list goes on and on. Yet each one of these brands has benefitted from your rants, Kanye West. It's all about brand awareness, folks. So either you are the most clever man in the bunch and really love these brands, but are showing your love through hatred, or you really are not a clever person, pure and simple. Which is it Kanye? You need to make a decision soon as right now the world is watching, shaking their heads and wondering when it will all come to a point where there is no return.
I'm all for you collaborating, designing, creating and changing the world through your powerful influence. You are talented, there is no doubt about that. But surely, your talents are put to better use in being humble and letting your creations speak for themselves. Right now, all anyone hears is you talking and none of it is making very much sense. All it's doing is creating a lot of editorials on your state of mind and pieces posing the question "what will Kanye do next?" Give us all hope, Kanye, for the future.
Yours sincerely,
A hopeful fan
