compilation of bts/army tweets i retweeted but doesn’t actually appear on my profile (TWITTER WHY)
TEXT POSTS:
Namgi are actual prodigies, how did bang pd just casually pick em up like that
ARMYs give BTS amazing promo but it only works cause...
And just in case anyone doesn't know, we call K-army "diamonds" because...
namjoon: i made espresso!! jungkook: i wanna try it namjoon: u hate bitter coffee
seokjin couldnt give less of a shit!!!!
Hoseok is Rock Lee
We have faves that are so willing to educate themselves...
I actually adore the final verses of The Last so much.
Hobi’s pseudo-triple entendres
why is this something i feel like rap line does in the studio
the funniest part of this run ep was when taehyung said...
BTS teletubbies @ MBC Gayo 2017
every update this year
top three betrayals are bighit not releasing tony montana feat jimin...
When I first began to fully get into BTS, I had a pretty jaded view...
Dear BTS 2013, its ARMY 2018.
MY DNA
*Yoongi's dating rumour*
this episode (run ep. 46) was so full of innuendos
fake trans on jin’s supposed feelings about the SIN separation
whoever is directing run should be reigned as the nation's hero...
What do you call a company that surpassed and outsold the big3?
bts are the definition of hyping ppl up for doing the bare minimum
an actual conversation that happened (run bts ep 46)
suran suga again and army
So I suddenly remember when Namjoon said these during Wings Tour The Final...
She was pushed by another members of staff while doing namjoon’s makeup
I WAS IN THE SHOWER BLASTING BTS AND ONCE I GOT OUT...
to the female staff who consoled jimin and keeps saying “you didn't mess up”...
they went from pardon to what was that
What happened at the first two episodes just made me respect Namjoon more.
on a serious note, it would be nice if when bts gets a special someone...
Next time during BTS concert, instead of screaming “encore encore”...
yall ever wanna think about how namjoon said that jimin needs lots of love and attention and thats probably why he shared a room with hoseok bc thats what exactly hoseok gives him
if I have any feeling towards BTS thats stronger than Love then it's RESPECT
the reason Jin was going on and on with his (R)evolution (E)volution (D)rop in the ocean thing might be because he was "hinting" at Youtube Red
one day, there will be a last...
namjoon came to post a selfie and left with a dating scandal
remember when hobi said “i wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for bangtan”...
Namjoon admitting that he’s also “just a kid” ...
"The reason I make music is because, after all, I am also afraid of the world."
Yoongi's scalp is braver than any US marine
Sometimes we forget that Namjoon is also just trying to figure out the world.
PUMA fansign: thank you for making music that changes the world
Everyone has a musical preference & enjoy when their artists reflect that.
let me talk about taehyung and how amazing he is as a friend
i like when seokjin shares stuff about his childhood, we get to know his orijin
BTS is also for redefining masculinity (hiphop is their way of life)
from humble beginnings to legends
burn the stage makes me realize that whenever rm post photos of nature ...
what exactly makes namjoon the sexiest for me ...
the reason seokjin’s chest and shoulders are so wide
Bighit: O! R YU DEAD, 2?
"What's your favourite song currently?"
the mask guy: u didnt bring anything to exchange so i cant help u
namjoons exchange [in the Fake Love Teaser 1] is so funny to me...
here are some of my favourite joon interviews
"How did you join BTS?"
jin: i’ve been doing it for 4 years
I hate it when people say armys have two brain cells like bold of you to think we even have a brain (sarcasm lol)
i’m a new generation anpanman
When the Billboard news was released this morning... (wisha)
interviewer: so what are your goals?
sometimes i still think about how the fanchant of cypher pt4...
"Hoe calm down, my shoe lace is untied"
“itʼs ok, we all found bts when we needed them in our lives the most”
i’m so sorry but it’s fake love
i want to see the world from taehyung’s view
just for youuuu
i love that taehyung is never anything but proud when talking abt the fact that he’s gained weight
i bet taehyung gives the best hugs
Our bomb is like a permanent reminder...
remember when we were like omg hixtape‘s mv gonna have bomb ass choreography lmaooo
no but it's so cute bts call it family pictures and not group pictures??
there's an undeniable sexual energy between yoongi nd every trophy...
bh staff: describe yourself in one word
jin: man, blowjobs sure are a mouthful (incorrect bts quotes)
THREADS:
I came across the Deloitte 2018 Media and Entertainment Industry Outlook
hoseok is one of the best dancers in the industry...
meaning behind whalien 52
KPOP101 LESSON 8: THE MINIMALIST ART OF THE KOREAN BALLAD
getting people flustered is hoseok culture - a thread
MY TOP 10 BTS SONGS (by KommonSense)
an explanation of rap lingo BTS use in their lyrics: a thread
I have some free time so like for an unpopular opinion. (hobybIo)
My Favorite Soft BTS Moments - A Thread! (odie)
Burn The Stage made me feel extremely vulnerable. (Aileen)
as Kings of Korean History [A thread] (KommonSense)
a thread of my favorite bts-related tumblr posts
Why and how the BTS rapline's experience with rap mirrors that of OG rappers
Everytime a BTS member was supportive of the LGBT community in any way
Namjoon (RM) Owning Up to His Mistakes
odie
Bangtan dancing styles thread
hoseok is one of the best dancers in the industry
Sky’s experience as a veteran ARMY
Jimin’s gliding technique (more threads on his dance technique)
analysis of how well DNA is structured as an EDM-pop song
I took a closer look into BTS’ intro Serendipity
Park Jimin is one of the most graceful and beautiful dancers in the industry
ok newbie kpop stans, welcome to history class (fandom shit)
An Introduction for the New, the Confused, and the Curious
BTS introduction thread
Science & literature are intrinsic to understanding how BTS and ARMY
how Singularity choreography coincides with lyrics
WHAT BTS ACTUALLY SAID - A MEGA THREAD
BTS song recommendations based on genres: a thread
rap line’s verses analysis
Mnet Comebackshow (LY:Tear) pre-recording review - THREAD -
"remember when" (BTS edition)
I'm watching a BTS music video and I don't know what the hell is going on, a thread:
LY: TEAR - MUSICAL ANALYSIS.
You know why I never will trust or listen to people who say "I left because of the fandom"
Type out what the bighit intro sounds like
Tyra Banks and her biological sons; a thread:
a thread about how BTS uses their music in their storytelling
for hot100, bts did what fans suggested
"Silly Little Trivia: Literal Choreography" thread for Fake Love
UNDERSTANDING BUniverse
BTS showing LGBT+ representation and support, a thread (this, too)
BTS meets Western standards of “cool” established by 1960s music, particularly rock ethics
BTS’ success: human brand x fan relationship
to celebrate bts festa, here is a thread of army stan twt’s best moments
MEME PICS/VIDS:
Jimin in the Danger mv
save Cook-Jin
Hope as mom : can you even get in any college with these grades?
Namgi & their annoyingly jumpy kids
IM WHEEZING JIN DID IT AGAIN
Everything makes sense noW (spider bite, cooky bite)
when they let you love them
When you need to wake em up
coming soon: Kim Seokjin only wanted a boyfriend
salt baes
EXPECTATION: "We aren't talking about BTS enough!
summary of run bts ep 46
i-armys and k-armys (suga’s ghost patting the clay)
Heaviest objects in the entire universe
"You will witness taehyung and jin fighting"
The battle of the year.
Hangsang with my thug
"Tangina mo," - J-Hope, 2018
choose your mineral water.
We all know... K-ARMYS & I-ARMYS
so who is giving them the candy?
I AM FUCKING DYING LAUGHING AT THEM IGNORING ALL THE KNOCKING IN THIS SCENARIO
I got bored and made ART
remember when namjoon asked for armys to edit him in because he missed the group picture with halsey
me listening to bts album skits
hoseok: hangsang with my thugs || his thugs:
we're finally getting the country comeback we deserve
fixed Jimin’s shots in LY:Tear
jungkook: made before i was born
this is what your food looks like inside the microwave
is this a theory?
is this an invitation?
He returned from the war
avatar Jimin
Yoongi and JK’s muffled convo
im just trying to take a nice screenshot....
ah yes, the four elements: fire, earth, water and snickers
Tyra Banks: The BTS ARMY is devoted and crazy (in a good way!) xD
BTS [MV] - You Will Never Do a Live Alone
the nation's #1 producer & bts' hype man
namjoon: you. me?
jungkook when he first met joon
fierce lil meow meow
RM spinebreaker???
this looks like rap line were a group of friends who stuck together...
V was written all along in Jimin’s tweet lol
jwimin-ssi
Hangs out with Tyra Banks ONCE...
learn the alphabet with BTS
TRANS:
When Bighit said they’ll donate 3% of LY album sales, u guys mocked us...
Kim Seokjin strange points
k-netz’ reaction on the Suga-Suran dating scandal
"Can bangtan fans please not get swayed by rumors?”
BTS trainer instagram re:B.T.S.
Music critic Kim, Youngdae nim’s MINI REVIEW on “Face Yourself”
Music critic Kim, Youngdae nim’s MINI REVIEW on “Euphoria”
bang pd and namjoon about his post supporting macklemore's song 'same love'
Konkuk uni student who became Seokjin's fan after speaking with him
I'm a multi-fan, I watch and listen to many idols, but I'm truly scared of BTS
an older woman(non-celebrity) admitted how much she loved BTS
So many warm teas in this article wrote by producer/musician Seiji Kameda
#LOVE_YOURSELF_轉_Tear Album HYYH Notes Translation Thread
180518 Love Yourself 轉 Tear - Thanks To Translations
“The lyrics in BTS’ album are so great Huge congrats to receiving at BBMA ”
response to #1 Billboard 200
BTS 2018 Festa Member’s profiles
VIDS:
KBS Happy Together 3 - Spring Day sung in karaoke room
imagine being this close to sunshine
Ashes - Lim Jeong Hee ft. BTS (2011)
kook's carelessness brought out his sunshine laugh just like that
Remember when bts proved to armys that they are all really spiderman
that time the cameraman was filming bts and jungkook started telling him...
i still get so soft over this the way jin hugged taehyung...
Seokjin killed it in this part in boy in luv
the sound of their footsteps is so satisfying omg
Remember when Jin and Ken met on a year end event rehearsal and they just...
Jungkook’s ‘yes’ and smile when Miri jumped through his arms...
seokjin and his interactions with camera men
Remember when Yoongi & Namjoon sang the high notes in Young Forever...
look at the difference between taekook and jinkook’s handshake lmao
this dance break has a special place in my heart :')
remember when Taehyung accidentally cut his real hair...
Nver forget that iris stevenson was the first one to believe in taehyung...
did yall notice that fdjghgd i’m shaking (run ep 46)
To remember the great SiN/YoonJin moment...
the wings era might be over but this snippet of each member’s solo songs...
Yes, Mom. This man right here. I love him. No more questions?
this is the best video of jin to ever exist
here’s jungkook having fun dancing to mama and lie
slush ft. jin
tell me why is it so funny that yoongi only opened 1/10 of his door n went back so fast
nothing but respect for my choreography leader
when jungkook opened the window well aware that it was raining
what makes you laugh? seokjin’s face
Bringing this back when taehyung was dancing nae nae...
SOMEBODY GIVE THIS BABY BLANKET AND BED...
i love this performance so fucking much!!!!
your ultimate mood booster (hobiiii)
HOLY SHIT MIN FUCKING YOONGI DID THAT
susko sobra ung bucket hats
THE WAY YOONGI AND HOSEOK SAY "RM" TOGETHER
remember when seokjin and hoseok were recognized by fans in america
jungkook imitated namjoon's finger heart and wink in a cute way
A compilation loop of Hoseok sneezing because it’s cute. Bless you!!
remember when jimin was hyping about their concert but hoseok
Hoseok left the group during Trainee days
heres 12 seconds of yoongi doing That Scream™ ...
this is what happens when you openly listen to bts without prejudice
when i say i want a rock song, i want THIS.
When Jungkook couldn’t pronounce Army bomb because of his Busan accent
U kno the thing joon does when he finds something?
reminding all of you that the special talent yoongi prepared is... imitating a doorbell
Here's a compilation of musicians getting shook by the sudden change to major in Jimin's 'Lie'
He actually blew a kiss how adorable
The fanboying level on this video is just
Hoseok doing background vocals/harmonising in Let Go (??)
...namjoon literally gets amused at the toy which blows a ball in the air...
NAMJOON DROPPED THE MIC HE WAS HOLDING AND JIN...
Lie rough instrumental
rough draft of Autumn Leaves, Young Forever, Wings (RM), Wings (JK)
Joon’s voice in the BBMA nomination teaser
Jin's reaction when I (sky) told him I brought him a present...
why BTS was nominated for BB TSA 2018
taehyung was fighting back his tears when they won TSA at 2017 BBMAs
Yoongi forgot his lines in Ma City and he just...
mannequin Tae
Bangtan ended ALL fashion weeks tonight !! (4th muster japan)
members cheering jimin up, wings tour macao
RM’s ending ment, Wings Tour the finale (Day 2?)
never forget bts' iconic reaction when they won their first daesang
When Jin was bowing, Jimin held him down and Jungkook immediately ran to sit in front of him.
jimin and seokjin debating whether dolphins could breathe underwater
look at tae's reaction when bang pd's voice broke
interviewer: what?
“DonT FiGht, Dont Fight!” :(((
RM: “we want to focus on our career”
Q: what's your favorite thing about yourself? yoongi: ᶤ ˡᶤᵏᵉ ᵖᵘᵖᵖʸ
WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT HOW JOON TRIED TO DO THE LIL DISNEY WAND THING WITH HIS FINGER IM HURTING
jungkook’s closeups
BTS with Ciara at the BBMAs 2018
don’t ever forget that seokjin is one hell of a snowboarder
“the reason why bts, who was not supported by big agencies, succeeded, is that they tried to read the world and to breathe [with the world] together”
this is what happens when u leave namjoon and jimin alone together
this video of seokjin being hype then instantly stops when his manager look at him will never be not funny
LMFAOOO WAIT TAEHYUNG AND NEYO WERE JAMMING TOGETHER
An exclusive interview with #BTS ! (MBC News)
i love this version of airplane pt. 2 so much (jk+jm part) (jimin mode~) yt link full
john cena getting asked whats his favorite song off love yourself tear
The female staff who video tapes BTS bangtan bombs is amazing
WHAT THE FUCK JUNGKOOK LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE SEOKJIN...
Q: Please say something to international ARMYs
awake (short harp cover)
airplane pt. 2 dance cover
compilation of yoongi stuff in raps
wHY IS JUNGKOOK LIKE THIS
the way he said "what's your name?" and shouted "michelle!"
full vid of the two links above
#ISeoulU bts vid 2015
Tyra Bank’s music vid for Fake Love
vmin in sync is scary
fake love original choreo
jungkook said ‘mic drop!’ after he stepped on the wire and made the mic fall
tae acting in euphoria
puppy jungkook is still the most ᵘʷᵘ :(
hobi jk mirror dance with finger heart (mcountdown)
ONEW WAS THROWING CONFETTI AT TAE PLEASE THATS SO CUTE
Look how Jiminie gave the trophy to Yoongi cuz baby boy knows
tae: so show me army: i’ll show you~ {music core)
minho and tae hugging (music core)
tae’s aegyo in board game run ep
look at taehyung acting all cute in the back
when seokjin goes like (•3•) its the cutest thing ever
wow jimin was that an accident
YOONGI REALLY IMITATED HIM IM SKFJDJ
What 시 (si; hour) is it?
SUGA: honestly, I rlly liked pro-wrestling
a fancam of taehyung spilling his water on his face
ARMY giving hobi a flower with his face on it (fansign) (180603)
BTS: *on their way to a very serious interview on one of Korea's biggest news channels*
yoonkok instant hug BV S1
sunud-sunod na aegyo in anpanman outfits
jungkook pulled off straps and threw down two straps then taejin picked them up
legends say this is the closest rep of how hoseok looks in real life
Kihyun really had the courage to throw confetti in yoongi's face tho
52 year-old man is a director of a company in Japan dancing DNA
I stan a king of fan service he's so adorable!
when taehyung was fake crying and jimin came & softly hugged him from behind
this or that game
jk imitating his hyungs (180607 fansign)
HOW UNSEE THIS IM LAUGHINF SO HARD shkhhh (awake)
biggest mystery in kpop - who's collecting who in the background??? (taejin?)
SEOKJIN ENDED THE PERFORMANCE DOING A FINGER HEART... 180607
hopekook's modified mirror dance 180607 mcountdown
jk reacting to ariana grande bbmas 2018
Look a joonie :( look at him go :(
REMEMBER WHEN HOSEOK SAID HE WAS CLINGY WITH YOONGI (BV2)...
noona fan giving hobi and jimin “allowance”
namjoon drunk-tweeting?
carbonara
LOOK AT LIL MEOW MEOW GO (basketball)
look at jimin’s reaction when a noona gave him a finger heart
they had to throw the yellow cloth at the finish of the performance...
OTHER PICS:
tae being so accepting in star king ;w;
i may be not here since 2013, but im still lucky to witnessed yeontan's lil growth
remember when bangtan was running late for their show...
NAMJOON’S REPLY TO THE SELCA JIN POSTED OF HIM...
hobi and his hearts
ep 1& 2 of B.T.S. has at least cleared up 2 main issues in this fandom
RM has a little #WednesdayWisdom from Burn The Stage.
This photo is a complete mess.
yoongi’s kind of humor is my favorite
Their biggest dream isn’t to break records, its to stay together for a long time.
They recorded their interviews for the documentary when they did Gayo track 15
what jimin said here was really interesting and great
the most powerful twins
They decided not to blur these faces of people who's behind BTS’ success.
BTS calls their staff with nicknames, noona or hyung...
it really went from edits to jungkook actually saying it
IM CRYING BIGHIT PAID FOR YOONGIS TUITON :((
LMFAO at none of them even touching the salad
tae’s uneven eyelids
when jin got allowance from his dad to buy steak...
LOOK AT YOONGI RUN SJDNDNDNDN
give me a better photo transition I'll wait #euphoria
love yourself 起 wonder (2018)
jin being peymous even pre-debut
THIS STILL GOTTA BE THE FUNNIEST THING JOON HAS EVER SAID
the most remarkable twins in history
a turkish tv show asked for ppl to send in pics w their siblings and someone sent in jin and jimin
taehyung’s a legend that listens to music on his laptop on the go
onigiri yoongi
MY MOTHER CAME INTO MY ROOM AND ASKED IF JIMIN IS MY BOYFRIEND
jung hoseok aka the king of mirror selcas
Tiny bestfriends vmin who have been inseparable since kindergarten AU
old bts pics I still can't believe exist: a thread
yoongi at namjoon's graduation (w/ hoseok)
I COMBINED TAEGI'S PICS TOGETHER AND OH MY GOD SJSB
"i put sticker on my carrier" yeah ryt
oh nothing just seokjin casually putting his LG G7 ThinQ at his jacket pocket
He show his flower uwu
taehyung accidentally becoming a meme on diplo's snapchat
Never forget Jungkook's Hongdae adventures
THANKS JIN for not killing jungkook
liam’s post of namjoon :D
that one time namjoon tweeted a picture of them with the caption of “we are all fools”
A 59-year-old friend of mine talking about Love Yourself:Tear
I was worried because I thought yoongi kept doing some kind of gang sign but--
This has to be the best reaction to a non-fan of BTS...
when you are sitting beside BTS but mcflurry ice cream is life
why is this exactly what all of their mixtapes sound like
dispatch - yoongi, fake love
taehyung’s chubby cheeks when he smiles
taehyung and his tea
OMFGGMFM LOOK AT Tyra Banks when boys went up for their award she’s a whole Mood I love her
BTS FESTA 2018 prediction
carry him again, jin
I KNEW THEY WERE GONNA CLOWN HIM
top10 mistranslations betrayal
Yoongi doing ᵗʰᵃᵗ smile
wide open yoongi
brigada eskwela stairs album art
jin flower petals (fansign)
namjoon vs svt jihoon
yoongi continuing his lil meow meow agenda
These two cuties just melted my whole heart (tae and tanie)
So... are we gonna talk about how they drew one stickman thicker than the rest
Low key promoted BTS the past 3 weeks in our hospital...
The exact same cat, same plant & same island taken 1 year apart. (ARMYSelca)
yoongi bunched up(?)
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Wests life and music have combined into an ongoing piece of performance art one that appears unsustainable at this pitch
In an era when the likes of Beyoncé can release perfectly formed records without warning, the saga of Kanye Wests seventh album has been comically messy. He first announced it a year ago, under the name So Help Me God, but postponed its release by several months while renaming it Swish, Waves and, finally, The Life of Pablo.
In the weeks prior to its grandiloquent live-streamed launch at Madison Square Garden on Thursday an album playback featuring celebrity guests and an army of black models debuting Wests latest Yeezy fashion line he posted a series of perplexingly self-destructive tweets on topics including his ex-girlfriend Amber Rose and Bill Cosby. Even for a man who clearly subscribes to Oscar Wildes dictum, There is only thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about, it was a bizarre display.
West, 38, is arguably the most important pop artist of his era and certainly the most compelling, for good or ill. He speaks, and indeed acts, in superlatives. In recent years he has described himself, not always entirely seriously, as the greatest living rock star on the planet, the new Steve Jobs, a potential US president and, simply, the nucleus. Inevitably, he inspires extreme reactions.
When he was booked for last years Glastonbury festival, more than 130,000 people signed a petition calling for an insult to music fans all over the world to be dropped. The vehemence of such attacks on an apologetically outspoken black man doubtless had a racist dimension but that alone does not explain why the rapper is such a uniquely polarising figure.
West was brought up to achieve great things. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, but raised in Chicago by his mother, Donda, an academic, he was given the name Kanye meaning only one Omari wise man and she taught him above all to love himself. In her memoir Raising Kanye, Donda wrote that West inherited from his father Ray, a former member of the Black Panther party, little patience for what he thinks is unjust. Wests kindergarten teacher said to Donda: Kanye certainly doesnt have any problem with self-esteem, does he?
That dude was focused since he was a shorty because he knew what he wanted to do and he had a mother who supported the shit out of him, his friend and fellow rapper GLC once told Complex magazine.
Kanye West in 2004. Photograph: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
After enrolling at art college in 1997, West dropped out to pursue production work for the likes of Jay Z, with a signature sound based on accelerated soul samples, and then fought doggedly to be taken seriously as a rapper.
I realised that he was going to make it happen and he didnt mind being an asshole, Damon Dash, Jay Zs partner in Roc-A-Fella Records, told Complex. If you dont mind being an asshole, youre not going to lose. He wasnt scared, he had gall. A decade later, West told the New York Times: I knew I was going to make it this far; I knew that this was going to happen.
In October 2002, West was involved in a car crash that shattered his jaw and changed his life. He was convinced that God had saved his life and that he needed to write more profound lyrics. He described this epiphany in his 2003 single Through the Wire: a superheros origin story in which he emerges from a life-threatening accident stronger than ever. I knew I was dealing with a different human being after the accident, his managerGee Roberson told Complex. From that day forth, it was game on.
Unlike his mentor Jay Z, the middle-class West couldnt draw on a violent, hardscrabble youth for credibility so he had to create his own drama, trumpeting his talent and ambition to a degree that was unusual even by hip-hops self-aggrandising standards.
Im the closest that hip-hop is getting to God, he told journalists at an album playback in 2005. Talking to the Guardian afterwards, he described his florid braggadocio as both a form of self-motivation and a theatrical performance. Its like Im walking on this tightrope. Its like, damn, what if he falls? And if I do make it, its like, damn, he made it! But either way youre saying damn. Everybody else is just walking on the ground.
West backed up his rhetoric by constantly redefining what hip-hop could be. The College Dropout (2004) bridged the gulf between mainstream rappers and socially conscious underground MCs. The lavish Late Registration (2005) was co-produced by thefilm score composer Jon Brion. The Daft Punk-sampling, Nietzsche-quoting hit Stronger, from Graduation (2007), began hip-hops lucrative liaison with EDM. Most of its current stars, including Drake and Kendrick Lamar, walked through doors that West opened.
West is a tireless enthusiast with constantly expanding tastes and an ear for whats next. He has been adept at choosing collaborators, from big names such as Rihanna and Daft Punk to up-and-comers such as Arca and Kid Cudi, and taking inspiration from fashion, cinema, architecture and visual art. He is a famous perfectionist who claimed to have mixed his single Stronger 75 times before he was satisfied.
Logic would seemingly state that an album with so many people working on it would sound disjointed, but what Kanye manages to do is get the best out of everyone working towards one sound, the producer Evian Christ told Pitchfork in 2013. You cant really overstate how difficult it is to do that.
West is also an unpredictable lyricist who is equally capable of self-aware jokes, crass, misogynist punchlines and eloquent examinations of race and class. Early in his career, he spoke out against homophobia in hip-hop and blurted out George Bush doesnt care about black people during a telethon for victims of Hurricane Katrina, although he has only sporadically engaged with politics since. He is often at his best when he is being inappropriate. (Five years later, Bush called the incident the all-time low of his presidency.)
Wests behaviour changed dramatically after Donda Wests death in November 2007, from heart disease. He rarely talks about the loss but last year told Q that he blamed himself: If I had never moved to LA shed be alive. West became a more haunted and guarded figure, returning to music with 808s & Heartbreak (2008), a brave, introspective album that featured more Auto-Tuned singing than rapping and paved the way for Drake and The Weeknd.
Kanye West takes the microphone from Taylor Swift as she accepts her award during the MTV VMAs in 2009. Photograph: Jason DeCrow/Associated Press
The loss of his mother invited sympathy but the next turning point in Wests life inspired fury and derision. In 2009, he interrupted Taylor Swifts acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, bringing to the boil a long-simmering backlash. (West ungallantly references the incident on his new song Famous.) He retreated to his bunker if Hawaii can be called a bunker and made his decadent epic My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) with a legion of collaborators including Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver and Elton John. He later described it as a long backhanded apology.
In recent years, Wests ambition has become both grander and more diffuse. During interviews and concerts to promote Yeezus (2013), an audaciously abrasive electro-punk primal scream that he called a protest to music, he delivered long, furious monologues about his struggle to break into the fashion industry.
He increasingly seems more interested in clothes than in music Right now, over 70% of my focus is on apparel, he told Paper magazine and much more besides. He has compared himself to such world-changing figures as Picasso and Walt Disney, befriended the tech stargazer Elon Musk, and talked about his ambition to inspire an army of risk-taking cultural soldiers. You can see the growth from Im gonna be this great artist to I wanna do something that ignites a fire in peoples souls, he told Q.
However much credit West gets, it is never enough. In a 2013 interview he compared his critics to the eight-grade basketball coach who would not include him in the team even though he hit every shot. The next year, he made the team. West is driven by the desire to prove his doubters wrong, and fired up by his previous ability to do so.
While most high-profile artists accept that they cannot please everybody, West craves approval from establishment institutions that he appears to hate, from the Grammy awards to European fashion houses, as a point of principle. I dont care about the Grammys, he told the New York Times. I just would like for the statistics to be more accurate.
It is unclear what will happen when West can no longer hit every shot. The singles he released last year, including collaborations with Paul McCartney, were coolly received. His Glastonbury performance promised to be either a triumph or a disaster but, most reviewers agreed, fell somewhere in-between. Pitchforks Jayson Greene wrote: He is responsible for the current zeitgeist, but listening to his slightly confused new material, you get the distinct sense that hes struggling to find his current footing in it.
Reading Wests recent tweets, it is impossible to work out exactly what he is trying to achieve. He is clearly a more volatile and erratic character than he used to be. Marriage and fatherhood are often stabilising influences but marrying Kim Kardashian in 2014 has pitched West into a tabloid world with an endless appetite for gossip. It is unlikely that he could retreat from the spotlight, as he did in 2009, even if he wanted to.
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Kanye West releases album and fashion collection at Madison Square Garden
His life and music have combined into an ongoing piece of performance art which is unsustainable at this pitch. No artist can remain the nucleus of pop culture indefinitely. One day, this extraordinarily successful figure will face the new challenge of learning to cope with no longer being the man everyone is talking about.
Potted profile
Born: Kanye Omari West, on 8 June 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia
Career: Began producing music for local Chicago rappers in his teens and landed his first high-profile job in 1999. Launched his solo career with The College Dropout in 2004. Has released six platinum albums, won 21 Grammy awards, designed several clothing lines, and featured twice on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Runs the record label Good Music and the creative content company Donda.
High point: Bouncing back with his magnum opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010 after his snafu at the Video Music Awards temporarily derailed his career: even Barack Obama called him a jackass. In December 2014, Pitchfork named it the best album of the decade so far.
Low point: The death of his mother in 2007, soon followed by his split from fiancee Alexis Phifer.
What he says: I will die for the art, for what I believe in, and the art aint always going to be polite.
What they say: Hes a brilliant madman. He cant help himself. Like, he doesnt have the same filters other people have. He has to blurt things out hes always saying inappropriate stuff. But he also has brilliant ideas, if you can get him to pay attention long enough Madonna.
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