Controversial. Bold. Legendary. These
are the words that come to mind when I think about the man they call Kanye West.
I’ve been a fan of Mr. West since his debut album The College Dropout was released. And the works that followed such
as Late Registration, Graduation, 808s & Heartbreak, My
Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezus,
and The Life of Pablo – just to name some, have solidified him as one of the most memorable
artists of our time. Songs like All Falls
Down, Homecoming, and his verses
on Slow Jamz are my favorites. When
he first released 808s & Heartbreak,
it had to grow on me awhile, as it was different from his previous works, but
on tracks like Heartless, you can
hear the raw and passionate sound in his lyrics and voice. When My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
dropped along with a creative visual video, I was blown away. Regardless of
what the press says about him, his on and off again beef with Taylor Swift, or
those who aren’t fans, one thing for sure is that he’s a creative genius. I
admire his boldness, authenticity, and ability to create work that is out of
the box. Yeezus was another album
that had to grow on me as well, but the change in his work is understandable
(as he was settling down with his wife Kim Kardashian-West and starting a
family.) The Life of Pablo was
another great work, and I was once again impressed by his creativity and vision
with music videos for tracks like Famous
and Fade (which was massively dope –
Teyana Taylor is definitely inspiration for body goals.) But aside from music,
Kanye West also has a unique approach towards fashion. When I was a
teenager I remember seeing him don Louis Vuitton in the press, and now he has
an incredible fashion line of his own. That’s impressive. And who could forget
his memorable speech at the 2015 MTV VMAs when he shared that he was running
for president in 2020? And with the way things have been going in the world,
anything is possible. You never know what you’re going to get with this guy,
and I’m excited to see what he creates next. Check out All Falls Down from The College Dropout in the link below.
It’s some of Kanye’s best work… https://youtu.be/8kyWDhB_QeI
I’m a Black educator in my fifth year of teaching middle school English, and in my third as the 8th Grade English PLC (Professional Learning Community) Lead. And while I genuinely enjoy the purposeful work I get to do, seeing the growth of my scholars, and continuing to hone my skills in a content area I’ve loved since I was a little girl, I’ve had to confront some unpleasant experiences in this space. I’d been through much worse when I was an academic advisor at a Christian university. Racism, sexism, harassment, and workplace bullying were sadly norms in that environment. However, some of what I’ve experienced as a Black educator hasn’t been normal … It doesn’t seem normal to be the only Black educator in my department – in a predominantly Black school. One of my Black colleagues once said, “It should look like a Tyler Perry movie in here.” But it doesn’t. It didn’t feel normal being reprimanded in a meeting (during my second year of teaching) by an administrator who went in on...