Kanye West is a Genius. Kanye West is Also My Hero.

11:26 PM
On a Friday
Orlando, FL

"Shoot for the stars and if you miss, you'll land on a cloud."

"Everything I'm not makes me everything I am."

"Believe in your flyness. Conquer your shyness."

"Love your haters. They're your biggest fans."

"We laugh to keep from crying."

There are two types of people in the world. Kanye West and everyone else.

I will never be Kanye West. I've accepted that. But I've also accepted how much of a huge figure he's been in my life and the sheer magnitude of everything he's done for music and the world.

The biggest question I get asked is "Why do you like Kanye so much? He's such a jerk!" to which I respond with something along the lines of "Yeah, he may be a jerk but have you actually listened to what he has to say?"

Here's the big thing to think about with Kanye West. To many (if not all) he appears to be arrogant, self-centered and just outright full of himself. But I feel like we often mistake all of that for what is actually confidence. You don't need arrogance to call yourself a god, you need confidence. You need to be confident to even think about calling yourself a god. And to actually say it? You'd need a god's level of confidence.

My senior quote in high school was a quote from Kanye that I've lived a decent amount of my life by.

"Nobody can tell me where I can and can't go."

It's the beauty of the simplicity of Kanye's message that has gotten me through the hardest times. It's the foundation in which I lay my unbreakable determination in and it's what gets me up in the morning believing that I can do whatever I set my mind to regardless of what others think.

None of this even accounts for how highly I regard Kanye's music which is a completely different beast. In order to make it more manageable, I decided I would pick one track off each of his albums and explain it's significance to me. Granted, I could just put a link to each of his albums and say "All of it is amazing and it's gotten me through a lot" but while that may be true, that would be the easy way out.

Family Business - The College Dropout (2004)
The College Dropout is the album I have listened to the most. It's also the album that has gotten me through so much that I would need another post in order to properly explain the magnitude of what this album means to me. But all my feelings about this album can be summarized by one song (and what I believe to be Kanye's most overlooked song). Family Business. Everything this album has gotten me through has always been because of family business. Whether it was my dad having a heart attack (and surviving) or my mother having a huge mental breakdown, this album has gotten me through everything. But it's helped me realize that whatever happened to me during that time or whatever happened to my family, it's just family business. And I don't need to let anybody in on my family business.

"Keep your nose out of the sky. Keep your heart to God and keep your face to the rising sun."

Heard 'Em Say - Late Registration (2005)
Nothing in life is guaranteed. Sometimes, it feels like everything sucks. But this track has helped me realize that sometimes, I need to do what's best. And sometimes, that may be the hardest thing to do. I've realized that sometimes I have to do what I need to do as opposed to what I want to do.

"Nothing's ever promised tomorrow today. But we'll find a way."

 The Glory - Graduation (2007)
You ever listen to those songs that just get you pumped up and excited to face the day? That's what this one does for me. It's the song that gives me confidence and puts an extra swing in my step. It makes me feel awesome.

"With my ego, I can stand there in a Speedo and be looked at like a fucking hero!"

Robocop - 808s and Heartbreaks (2008)
This album definitely gets overlooked a lot. I really want to change that one day. As for the song, it's significance to me lies in how sometimes, people aren't what they seem and when you start to date them, you realize just how ridiculous they are. Then you distance yourself from them and you're glad you did. (Pat, if you're reading this... sorry I'm not sorry)

"Fast or slow. You could stay or you could go."

 Lost in the World (featuring Bon Iver) - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
I don't know what I can say about this album that hasn't been said already. The extravagance and outlandish nature of this album make it an absolute beast to tackle and yet, it's incredibly accessible. The lush production and sounds make it so sonically pleasing. Lost in the World is the kind of song that takes every kind of possible turn and then some. If humanity is somehow wiped off the face of the earth, I want this to be the album we leave behind.

"Run from the lights. Run from the night. Run for your life."

 New Slaves - Yeezus (2013)
I once said that if I was ever locked in a quiet room, I would want to blast this album. I want to lock myself in a room and listen to this album and nothing else. This album was an absolute challenge to listen to initially. It was loud. It was abrasive. It was intense to say the least. But when I was finally able to tackle it, it was so worth it. Then I went to see this album performed live on the Yeezus tour and needless to say, it was otherworldly. There will never be any words I have to properly explain what I felt while watching that performance. In the last minute of the track, there's a part where Kanye's confidence truly shines. He's proudly proclaiming how he's on the top of the world and just those few bars alone always fill me with a sense of determination knowing I can be whatever I want to be.

"I won't end this high. Not this time again. So long 'cause you cannot survive and I'm not dying here. I can't lose."

Thank you Kanye. Thank you.