The name Kanye West has become synonymous with the term “falling off”. Kanye’s transition is so jaw-droppingly bizarre and unreal that most people refer to Kanye in two time periods: old Kanye and present Ye. The way people refer to it, Kanye might as well have been two different people. . After all, how did someone go from producing tracks such as “Dark Fantasy” and “Good Morning” to “All Mine”? How did we go from Graduation to Jesus is King? There are numerous controversies surrounding Kanye, from his certain “viewpoints” to his bizarre and outlandish behavior are certainly a sight to behold. 

In just twenty years, Kanye’s career has flown down the drain. One of Kanye’s oldest and most public controversies is his blatant anti-sentism. In Kanye’s 2022 Twitter post, Kanye mentions his opinions clearly by stating how he simply doesn’t like people from the Jewish decent.Interviews as far as a decade back, such as one from  2016 also showcase how far his anti-semitic roots spread. In this now infamous interview, Kanye dons a ski-mask and verbatim states his love for the Nazis and Hitler’s oppressive values. . In another interview, this time with Fox News, Kanye launched into a rant on how the Jewish people aren’t the “real Jews” and how untrustable and shady the Jewish are. Kanye’s frankly horrible views also come into play with his questionable choice of celebrity friends. Kanye’s strong ties with other controversial figures such as Kim Kardashian, Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, and Ted Cruz certainly does not help his reputation. While other controversies such as his hot-and-cold relationship with Taylor Swift and his frankly embarrassing actions because of his overinflated ego do play a part in his tarnished reputation,  one of his main pitfalls as someone with a platform in this day and age is his blatant racism and inconsideration towards a specific religious group. 

The effect Kanye’s controversies had on his career health was, to put it lightly —  devastating. Kanye went from that in-touch rapper that every brand wanted a piece of to a highly violate, dangerous feral that no cologorate wants to touch without a five-foot stick. Brands affected by this “Kanye Effect”, to name a few, include Gap, Balenciaga, CAA, Cohen, JPMorgan, Chase, and more. To simply put it, Kanye quickly became a big brand risk. His unpredictable nature, while definitely beneficial to his unique style of lyric writing and beats, does not help however with his sponsorship potential. Even his celebrity friends have turned their backs on him due to the controversies. Trump used to kiss the ground that Kanye walked on, but now refers to him as a “seriously troubled man”. Drake used to be besties with Kanye in the early stages of their careers, but he now wants nothing to do with him. Even Peppa Pig threw shade on Kanye. Several tweets made by the pig mocked Kanye for his Donda album scoring lower than the official Peppa Pig soundtrack on a poll. Honestly, it’s kinda impressive how Kanye got a children’s cartoon mascot to pick on him. That’s how disliked he is in terms of recent times.  

Still, with all this hate, it’s hard to deny the cultural Impact Kanye had on our society. From his numerous bangers such as College Dropout to the influential Yeezys that every kid wished that they had at some point in their life, Kanye’s influence on society as a whole is frankly unmatched to any artist in our era.. In recent years, Kanye has opened up about his mental health problems. In his Twitter Posts, his anti-semitic bite marks are now replaced with honest, down to earth stories on his Bipolar Disorder and other various mental health issues.  If Kanye can make amends for his past and prove that he’s willing to change, he can make a comeback in my opinion. Though it might be a long and strenuous journey, the man who once made the world hold their breath each time he dropped an album, can overcome these challenges and rise again as a new person. After all, we all miss the old Kanye.