TIME

On Ye, Kanye West is still a tangle of contradictions

Hip-hop provocateur: West recently made news tweeting on Trump and on slavery

KANYE WEST’S PROJECTS SINCE HE teamed up with his now wife Kim Kardashian West in 2012—including the abrasive Yeezus, the sprawling The Life of Pablo and the series of personal appearances punctuated by top-of-the-head singles—have had varying stylistic contours. The one thing they’ve consistently focused on is contrast: light and dark, ugly and beautiful, self-aggrandizing and self-loathing.

West might be uniquely qualified to grapple

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from TIME

TIME2 min readAmerican Government
Bolsonaro And Trump, Apart Yet Together
A president facing a tough fight for re-election warns his followers that corrupt elites want to steal power from them. He loses the election and calls on his supporters to defend him. Unable to block the transfer of power, he retreats to Florida. Hi
TIME3 min read
5 Things Therapists Do When They Feel Lonely
True friendships can take years to develop—which isn’t exactly comforting to the 1 in 3 U.S. adults who say they are lonely right now. But you don’t need to wait for a new BFF to feel better. Small acts can help give you immediate relief from lonelin
TIME9 min read
Artists
She moves with a lightness in a heavy world—bold, playful, and self-aware. She is thoughtfully outspoken for the oppressed and displaced. She founded an influential editorial platform, Service95, to cover cultural topics and address humanitarian conc

Related Books & Audiobooks