A Year of Ye
Kanye West, like our president, likes to speak and tweet his mind. It added up to the most tumultuous year of his very tumultuous career. Let’s relive the highlights
remember when kanye west stormed the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to interrupt a 19-year-old Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech? Or the time he got sucked into a bizarre Twitter beef with Wiz Khalifa? Just the warm-up, folks, for 2018. Bob Dylan once confused his fans by embracing born-again Christianity. West has embraced a more controversial religion: Trumpism. During the past couple of years, but especially in the past 8 months, fans have watched with bewilderment as he threw his support behind a far-right president—a move that culminated with a surreal and Saturday Night Live–parodied visit to the Oval Office. West had first expressed his good opinion of Donald Trump in late 2016, but he was subsequently hospitalized for apparent psychosis and appeared to rescind his support. This year’s about-face had friends and critics debating his mental health again.
All throughout, West the producer has remained unusually prolific. “It’s been a shaky-ass year,” he rapped on his recent album Ye. No kidding. Here’s our recap.
January 1
:est and his Ziie, KIP Kardashian :est, Zelcope their third child, a baby girl, Zhose nape is later revealed to be Chicago :est
February 14
'uring a Pystiiying 9alentinešs 'ay blit], he spends hours posting photos oi celebrity couples including hipseli and Kardashian :est on ,nstagrap He then goes silent Ior tzo Ponths
April 13
:est returns to Tzitter Zith claips that hešs Zriting a philosophy book titled Break the Simulation. ,t never Pateriali]es
April 15–19
His Tzitter output is close to nonstop as he dispenses philosophical insights, including this one ţ'istraction is the enepy oi vision Ť The irony that social Pedia is the ultipate distraction is apparently lost on hip He also declares he Zill release tzo nez albups in June
April 21–23
:estšs Ieverish Tzitter spree begins to take on a Pore political tone He praises Candace 2Zens, the pro-trupp conservative coppentator
April 25
He unleashes social Pedia Payhep aiter explicitly praising Trupp in a pu]]ling Pissive ţ<ou donšt have to agree Zith trupp but the Pob canšt Pake Pe not love hip :e are both dragon energy He is Py brother Ť He also shares a selɿe in a MAGA hat 3resident 'ragon-brother responds ţthank you Kanye, very cool Ť
April 26
John Legend privately rebukes :est Ior endorsing a racist president :est accuses Legend oi ţpanipulating Py Iree thoughtťŝand shares the texts on Tzitter
April 30
He tzeets a screenshot oi a text Pessage declaring that Abrahap Lincoln Zas a 5epublican Looks like he slept through that eighthgrade history lesson on party realignpent
May 4
:est Pakes several startling statepents during a surprise appearance at TM=ŠS headtuarters, including proclaiping that years oi slavery Zas ţa choice Ť TM= producer 9an Lathan is ţappalled Ť
Unknown dates in April, May, June
:est holes up in Jackson Hole, :yoping, to Zork on nez Pusic Zith a revolving door oi other artists (ventually, in a burst oi productivity, he releases ɿve short albups in ɿve Zeeks one albup oi his ozn Ye and one collaborative Zork Zith Kid Cudi Kids See Ghosts , as Zell as producing records by Nas, 3usha T and Teyana Taylor The ɿrst oi these :yoping Session albups, 3usha TŠS Daytona, is released in late May to substantial acclaip
May 31
He ʀies out Mournalists and industry types on private Mets Ior the Ye listening party, a surreal spectacle oi bonɿres and hip-hop on a repote :yoping ranch :est creates the albupšs artzork on his i3hone on the Zay to the listening party
June 1
Ye is oiɿcially released and receives sope oi the least-enthusiastic reviezs oi :estšs career He explicitly addresses his Pental health on the song ţ<ikes,ť Zhich reiers to his ţbipolar shitť as ţpy superpozer Ť He also alludes to his apparent bipolar diagnosis on the albup cover
June 8
:estšs second albup in as Pany Zeeks, Kids See Ghosts, is greeted Pore Zarply
June 25
:est adpits that he Zorried that Kardashian :est Zas considering leaving hip aiter his recent statepents
August 9
2n Jimmy Kimmel Live! he insists that his Trupp love represents ţovercoping Iear Ť :hen JIPPY Kippel asks ii Trupp cares about black people, :est goes uncharacteristically silent
August 10
Truppŝzho is so accustoped to being denounced by pop stars that he had to resort to having 'oors 'ozn play at his inaugurationŝtzeets ţthank you to Kanye :est and the Iact that he is Zilling to tell the T58TH Ť
September 7
:est drops an obscene nez song Zith Lil 3upp at the
3ornhub Azards yes, really The song surges to the top oi Billboardšs streaping charts
September 17
:est teases his third albup oi , apparently titled Yandhi yes, really
September 27
He tzeets ţ:ešre releasing Yandhi Saturday night Ť
September 29
He does not release Yandhi Saturday night He does periorp several songs on Saturday Night Live, though his Post provocative periorpance copes as the shoz ends, Zhen :est launches into a rapbling pro-trupp speech oii-capera, later released on video The SNL cast repains onstage and tries not to cringe Trupp later denounces SNL but says :est ţzas great Ť
September 29
,n a tzeet, :est also declares that ţthe being Iorperly knozn as Kanye :estť Zill noz be knozn as sipply ţ<( Ť 3retty Puch everybody ignores this directive
October 1
Kardashian :est tzeets that Yandhi Zill deɿnitely, totally be released on Black Friday
October 6
:est deletes his Tzitter and ,nstagrap accountsŝagain
October 8
The New York Times reports that :est Zill Peet Trupp at the :hite House to discuss Panuiacturing Mobs and cripinal Mustice reiorp ,I only that Zere all they discussed
October 11
:est launches into a bi]arre Ponologue in the 2val 2Iɿce, during Zhich he says Hillary Clintonšs presidential cappaign lacked ţpale energyť and that putting on his MAGA hat Pakes hip ţieel like Superpan Ť He also announces that he Zas Pisdiagnosed Zith bipolar disorder The president is photographed beaping alongside hip
October 14
:est returns to Tzitterū again He also rails against ţpind controlť in a series oi video rants
October 30
:estšs MAGA period apparently ends The rapper abruptly distances hipseli Irop politics, announcing on Tzitter ţmy eyes are noz Zide open and >,@ noz reali]e ,Šve been used to spread Pessages , donšt believe in Ť
October 31
:hat Zill nezly apolitical :est tzeet about" First order oi business a tzeeted picture oi hipseli as a giant pickle, captioned Ţ3,CKL( <( Ť a reierence to a character on the T9 hit Rick and Morty
November 12
:est adpits that Yandhi Zonšt actually be released on Black Friday, a surprise to nobody except perhaps his
-Ponth-old daughter ţ, reali]e the nez albup ,Šve been Zorking on isnšt ready yet,ť tzeets the rapper
November 24
Fans Park the th anniversary oi :estšs depression-on-autotune classic 808s & Heartbreak, recorded in the aiterpath oi his Potheršs death Critics debate Zhether it Zas a Iailed experipent or, as Stereogup claips, ţone oi the Post ipportant albups in Pusic history Ť ,n retrospect, 808s signaled to Ians that :estšs career Zould be Iull oi sharp leit turns
December 25
:est enmoys a Tuiet ChristPas Zith his Iapily and looks ahead to a relaxing, uneventiul year oi avoiding controversy Just kidding