At the age of seven on 2004, I was with my sister and my cousins watching Total Request Live on MTV. A new rapper debuting his new music video came on. He was confident, loud, and had that cocky swagger that many rappers had. I didn’t pay him any mind, but then the video started. As a seven year old who spent numerous hours in church, hearing a rap song with a choral chants was mesmerizing. Seeing the combination of rap and something I was familiar with was something completely new to me. At that moment, I became a fan of an artist named Kanye West.

Throughout my childhood and adolescence Kanye was my soundtrack.  From College Dropout to Yeezus, he was there in my earphones. Kanye always my favorite because he made music about him and what was on his mind. He didn’t talk about the streets” or “the hustle” like most rappers did in the bling era. He rapped about his heartbreaks, his experiences, his thoughts, his goals and aspirations. This is was important because I was a young black kid who wasn’t hood at all. So having a popular voice in hip hop at the time that wasn’t immersed in the hood narrative was really cool.

Kanye has been one my favorite artist however, it I always knew he was controversial and frankly crazy. I remember him interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs. I remember him saying George Bush doesn’t care about Black people. I remember him his crazy interviews. He was outlandish, brash, and vocal and that is the cornerstone of his persona. Even at the age of 12 I knew Kanye, while a great artist, didn’t always make the best decisions and was just bold. Since 2006 he has been known more for his antics/personality than his music. That is just Kanye.

As of recently Kanye has professed his appreciate of Donald Trump and his new radical, more misguided views on politics. Many of his fans and non-fans were shocked, appalled, and outraged by his views. I was not. Do I like any of his views? No I think they are stupid, uninformed, and just offensive. Am I upset he has those views? No. Kanye is a lot like Trump where he kinda thrives on outrage. When people dislike and are outraged by something Kanye says or does, Kanye doubles down and changes for no one. It is the opposite of what many celebrities do in the outrage driven society we live in. I doubt anyone will convince kanye to abandon his views and that is just the truth. Kanye will provoke the world and contradict popular ideas like he has always done.

Will Kanye’s new ideas and opinions stop me from listening to his new album? Probably not. I like quality music more than I care about the artist personal beliefs. Wagner was a proto-nazi but I still listen to Ride of the Valkyries. James Brown supported Nixon but I will still listen to papa’s got a brand new  bag. While Kanye’s views are problematic, they are not surprising given his controversial past and won’t stop me from listening to his new music.