Hip-hop burnout fells Kanye

IT’S NOT totally clear what’s going on with Kanye West. The rapper, who was filmed delivering onstage rants during recent shows in California, on Monday cancelled the remaining 21 dates in his Saint Pablo tour. Hours later, he was reportedly hospitalised for stress and exhaustion.

West spent the night at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for his own safety.

Police, without confir ming the patient as West, said officers went to a Hollywood home for a disturbance, and an ambulance took the patient to the hospital to be placed on a psychiatric hold.

Prior to his hospitalisation, West’s public breakdowns and stream- of- consciousness speeches have been the subject of jokes and disdain.

But recent reports about his well-being have reopened a conversation about mental health, fame and hip-hop. . West’s lyrics, particularly on Life of Pablo, have caused alarm among some who speculate there’s more to them than bombastic exaggeration. For instance, on FML, he raps about nothing being crazier than when “he’s off his Lexapro”. But West is not just a hip-hop artist; he is a megastar. His public behaviour over the years has fuelled rumours among the public and garnered concern from fans and those close to him. Rhymefest, who has co-written West tracks for years, announced in February he had stopped collaborating with him. “His mind and spirit isn’t right,” Rhymefest tweeted. – The Washington Post