Politics in Kanye West’s “New Slaves”
Although Kanye West has never shied from controversial politics, such as an instance following Hurricane Katrina in which he stated, “George Bush doesn't care about Black people,” the release of the single “New Slaves” from the album Yeezus elevated his level of sociopolitical critique. This work is unique as it overtly introduced its critiques of racist continuity present throughout American history. Ultimately, West seemed to seek to illustrate a contemporary society which had turned a blind eye to the plights of African-Americans and allows for the continuation of racist and exclusionary measures.
Politically, West sought to confront institutionalized racism with “New Slave”, particularly within American …show more content…
A heavy, yet often sparse drum track provides an open framework in which West is able to aggressively exhibits outrage against the unsettling profit-making relationship between the federal government and corporate correction facilities at the expense of African-Americans in modern society. Outrage is what West exerts throughout the work, effectively begging for immediate action against the travesty. The overtness of the work’s sociopolitical messages is also vital to its importance and effectiveness as the addressed issues are almost taboo, particularly in government institutions. Thus, the brazen assault launched by this work was needed in order to stimulate the intended response of outrage and action on the part of the public. Furthermore, the physical unveiling of the work furthers the theme and message. Initially the work was unveiled by the the use of video projections in 66 locations and soon after nationwide on Saturday Night Live. The anti-institution ethos of the unveiling perhaps added an additional power to the overall message against institutionalized racism while during the Saturday Night Live performance West forwent all artistic padding as he stared into the camera while an extreme black-and-white close-up of his face was projected in the background. This minimalistic approach allowed focus on the audible anger and true political reasoning of the lyrics to be most powerful. Ultimately, West’s message was critically applauded as “New Slaves” received numerous accolades, such as being placed first on Time’s "The 25 Best Songs of 2013.” However, perhaps the reception of West’s message matters less than the awareness and discussion caused by its subject
Although Kanye West has never shied from controversial politics, such as an instance following Hurricane Katrina in which he stated, “George Bush doesn't care about Black people,” the release of the single “New Slaves” from the album Yeezus elevated his level of sociopolitical critique. This work is unique as it overtly introduced its critiques of racist continuity present throughout American history. Ultimately, West seemed to seek to illustrate a contemporary society which had turned a blind eye to the plights of African-Americans and allows for the continuation of racist and exclusionary measures.
Politically, West sought to confront institutionalized racism with “New Slave”, particularly within American …show more content…
A heavy, yet often sparse drum track provides an open framework in which West is able to aggressively exhibits outrage against the unsettling profit-making relationship between the federal government and corporate correction facilities at the expense of African-Americans in modern society. Outrage is what West exerts throughout the work, effectively begging for immediate action against the travesty. The overtness of the work’s sociopolitical messages is also vital to its importance and effectiveness as the addressed issues are almost taboo, particularly in government institutions. Thus, the brazen assault launched by this work was needed in order to stimulate the intended response of outrage and action on the part of the public. Furthermore, the physical unveiling of the work furthers the theme and message. Initially the work was unveiled by the the use of video projections in 66 locations and soon after nationwide on Saturday Night Live. The anti-institution ethos of the unveiling perhaps added an additional power to the overall message against institutionalized racism while during the Saturday Night Live performance West forwent all artistic padding as he stared into the camera while an extreme black-and-white close-up of his face was projected in the background. This minimalistic approach allowed focus on the audible anger and true political reasoning of the lyrics to be most powerful. Ultimately, West’s message was critically applauded as “New Slaves” received numerous accolades, such as being placed first on Time’s "The 25 Best Songs of 2013.” However, perhaps the reception of West’s message matters less than the awareness and discussion caused by its subject