Almost one week after Kanye West released his eighth studio album, "Ye," we wonder what to do with artists who displease us. Going back to 2004, we take a closer look at Kanye, the artist, who questioned the role of higher education, called out former president George Bush after Hurricane Katrina on live television, and publicly grieved over the untimely death of his mother. We also examine Kanye, the problem, and try to understand how the same person who seemed to champion black solidarity in the early 2000s is now calling slavery a choice and aligning himself with President Trump. From "The College Dropout" to "808s & Heartbreak" to "Yeezus" to "Ye," we've kept listening to Kanye, but we ask ourselves: what will make us stop?
Discussed this week:
"Ivanka Trump, Samantha Bee, and the Strange Path of an Ancient Epithet" (Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, June 1, 2018)Rebecca Traister's tweets about Samantha Bee calling Ivanka Trump the C-word (2018)"Running Up That Hill" (Kate Bush, 1985) "The Man Who Ate Everything" (Jeffrey Steingarten, 1998)"Julián is a Mermaid" (Jessica Love, 2018)"O Superman" (Laurie Anderson, 1982)Kanye's comments about former president George Bush after Hurricane Katrina (MTV, 2005)"Ye" (Kanye West, 2018)"The Life of Pablo" (Kanye West, 2016)"Yeezus" (Kanye West, 2013)"My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (Kanye West, 2010)"808s & Heartbreak" (Kanye West, 2008)"Graduation" (Kanye West, 2007)"Late Registration" (Kanye West, 2005)"The College Dropout" (Kanye West, 2004)We're Going Black(er) AKA Dear Woke People
We Watch Trump TV with Emily Nussbaum
We Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston
We Feud About “Feud”
We Relive the Oscars with Barry Jenkins
We Listen to Kendrick Lamar & Talk to Valerie Jarrett
We Go To S-Town
Season Finale with Jordan Peele | Episode 26
Oscars Preview with A.O. Scott | Episode 25
Beyoncé to Baldwin and Back Again | Episode 24
The Women of “Girls” | Episode 23
‘You Only Leave Home When Home Won’t Let You Stay’ | Episode 22
Wesley and Jenna’s Existential Fears | Episode 21
Show Me the (Read) Receipts! | Episode 20
Batman vs. Joker | Episode 19
‘The Perfect Movie for Our Time’ | Episode 18
The Kanye-thon | Episode 17
The Lives They Lived | Episode 16
Best of 2016 with Bill Simmons, Heben Nigatu, Tracy Clayton and Ezra Edelman | Episode 15
Beyoncé vs. Adele? No Contest | Episode 14
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