Even as Usher continues to gain popularity and mass attention ahead of his Super Bowl Halftime show performance, Kanye West is also trending because his fans are lobbying for his own performance.
Well, he’s trending due to a combination of his fans both believing he would put on an incredible show and discussing the litany of ways Kanye could also f### it all up. The fact a tweet questioning why Ye hasn’t helmed the coveted performance slot, in spite of JAY-Z’s Roc Nation imprint handling the production of the show, has more than 16 million likes just goes to show the demand is there. Well, at least it is on Twitter.
You know why
— BRICKLAYER KLAY SEASON (@Klay_SZN) September 25, 2023
In the real world, though, West’s live performance résumé of commanding major stages is 100 percent vetted and validated at this point. People talk about Burna Boy’s Afrobeat taking over during the 2023 NBA Halftime show, but Ye’s 2011 performance with Rihanna and more is the stuff the Harvard School of Business course curriculum is derivative of. Bro literally broke the fourth wall on live TV with his Grammy’s performance in 2006—which was complete with cameos from Jamie Foxx and an entire marching band.
The fact of the matter is that West is fully capable of putting on a show stopping performance, but it remains to be established whether he’s stable enough to actually do so. The innumerable mental health breakdowns, in addition to the inflammatory antisemitic remarks he made last year, have seemingly forever marred West’s creative legacy. In a sense, the only way Ye can make things right appears to be through his art—but how can he do so without being given the opportunity to produce?
Hopefully, West can get it together soon so we can all bear witness to his unchecked creativity live once again. Check out footage of Ye’s recent live experience for the DONDA 2 album below.