by Damon Carr, For New Pittsburgh Courier
No matter what news media outlet you follow, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the Kanye West post on Twitter and the aftermath which followed. I received several questions about my thoughts on Kanye West words and the repercussions of his words on my Facebook page. I received countless inboxes from people sharing links to news articles and videos regarding outtakes of Kanye West. My notifications on my phone blew up with multiple news feeds talking about Kanye West.
When the story first broke about Gap and Adidas severing ties with Kanye, my initial response to a comment made by Bradley and a question posed by Melissa on my Facebook page was as follows:
Bradley stated: It just hit me that if Kanye somehow manages to move past all of this and builds a platform exclusive for his shoes and his music, it would catapult him into becoming one of the most powerful Black businessmen in America.
My response: His net worth is about to take a hit. I’m not sure how much of the Yeezy brand contributed to his net worth but I’m willing to guess 75 percent of it.
Just as the powers that be are pulling the plug on their partnership, millions who associate with the community will no longer buy his products.
Many marketing channels he’s now privy to will be halted. Distribution on a global level isn’t as easy and smooth without the assistance of a powerhouse like Adidas.
His mom passed away. He recently got divorced from his wife, he has limited access to and influence over his children. Now his brand and his empire is taking a hit. It’s been reported that he has a history of mental health issues. I believe people should keep a watchful eye over him.
Melissa asked: Damon, you’re a finance man, some are saying this is all part of his plan. He wanted them to end his contracts. Do you think that’s true? Is this a logical thing to do?
My response: I don’t think he intentionally planned on being dropped from every major partnership he had in unison. He was proud of his billionaire status. He’d often correct people who lowballed him. I don’t think he wanted to lose upwards of 70 percent of his net worth overnight. Kanye acts like a spoiled 2-year-old who has temper tantrums when things don’t go his way.
The good thing about contracts are they expire. He could have positioned himself to exit from said company and transition to whatever his next move is way more smoothly than this.
He complained about the Jewish community having so much power and ownership. If you have a seat at the table, learn from them then make your move. I don’t think he realized the magnitude of how much power and influence they really have until now.
I think Kanye’s business persona and his brand has been tarnished. It will take some time to rebuild and rebrand his image.
At this point, I had tabled the article as something I would write about. I already had the title of the article in mind. It’s a spin on one of his popular songs, “Can’t tell me nothing!” In this song, the hook goes as follows.
La, la, la-la (ayy)
Wait ‘til I get my money right
La, la, la-la (yeah)
Then you can’t tell me nothing, right?
My opinion was cemented. I figured Kanye has gotten his money right and now he’s acting like a fool. Nobody can tell him anything!
I later went to the barber shop. As my barber, Reese, was cutting my hair, he asked me my thoughts about Kanye West. I said, I’m a fan of Kanye West. I love his music. After watching his documentary “jeen-yuhs” and seeing how hard he worked to get to where he is, I became a bigger fan. But his recent shenanigans from wearing the Make America Great Again hat to wearing the White Lives Matter T-shirts to stating slavery is a choice to stating George Floyd died of an overdose and now he’s going Death Con 3 on all Jewish people is insane.
My barber responded, “yea he’s doing the most. But the more I watch the videos being posted about what he’s actually saying, the more I’m thinking he has a point.”
Same day I got an inbox from one of my Facebook followers. Her name is Choice. She said, “I stand by him and I think he has been misunderstood. What baffles me is how we as Black people are quick and ready to crucify our own. How do we celebrate and laugh at the downfall of our own? I have been heartbroken over this. I think it’s important to see what he is saying with an open mind even when he says stuff that we might not agree with.”
I realized that I was shaping my views and opinions of Kanye West who now goes by Ye based on news headlines, snippets, and the narrative being spoken about him. I wasn’t listening to or even trying to hear what he was saying. I was forming an opinion not even knowing what death con 3 (defcon) meant. I decided to watch full videos of his appearances on Drink Champs and Uncensored with Piers Morgan.
In these interviews, Kanye said that he was angry, jealous, and pushed to the point of exhaustion because of bad contracts, lack of control and the mishandling of things associated with his business interests. From his experience it was Jewish businessmen who had control and influence over everything including the media. They had the final say. He admitted to being jealous of the Jewish community. He wanted for Black people what the Jewish community had. He’s jealous of how:
- They don’t abort their babies
- Their marriages stay together
- They do business together
- They read and understand their contracts
- They profit off Black Culture
He goes on to say that the negative imagery of Black people via music lyrics signed off on by executives is the real anti-Semitism.
Watching the full interviews, he appears to be a walking contradiction. His intent about wanting Black people to have an equal playing field is in the right place but many of his statements and actions incite negative feelings and emotions.
One of the headlines I saw read that Kanye lost $2 billion in one day. He’s lost all of his major partnerships in both music, fashion, and sports. His school, Donda, was closed in the middle of the school year.
Kanye, you’re an amazing success story whose done things your way despite all odds. You’re still worth an astounding $400 million. Before it “All Falls Down” like the title of one of your hit songs, you have to change that “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” mentality.
(Damon Carr, Money Coach be reached @ 412-216-1013 or visit his website @ www.damonmoneycoach.com)
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