“Can I still listen to Kanye?”

On October 3, 2022, Kanye West wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt to his Paris Fashion Week event, a phrase that the Anti-Defamation League categorizes as a hate statement. On October 9, he was restricted from Instagram and Twitter for threatening Jewish people with “death con 3 [sic],” while at the same time insisting he “can’t be Anti-Semitic” because of his own minority status. On October 16, he bragged “I can say antisemitic shit, and Adidas can’t drop me” on a podcast appearance, and on October 25, Adidas, among other brands, released a statement formally terminating their partnership with West. These are the most recent instances of West’s absurd, inflammatory, and offensive behavior. 

West has been criticized his entire career, with his defenders willing to separate his actions from his art. In February 2016, University of Richmond Professor Erik Nielson was quoted in USA Today as saying “[West] is talented enough that he has made the calculation that you can dislike him and you will still listen to his music.” This had been the dominant view, but after years of repeated bigoted statements, his defenders seem to be dwindling. Ye, which is Kanye West’s chosen name, is far from the only artist to be criticized or “canceled” for their offensive remarks or actions. Just because we like the art that a certain artist creates doesn’t mean they owe it to us to be a good person. So where does that leave us as consumers of a product made by someone that we disagree with? To what extent does supporting the work of someone with consistent, reprehensible behavior reflect on the morality of the individual? What even counts as supporting an artist?

Death of the Author is a literary theory that regards the text as independent from the author; in other words, the author’s intent is irrelevant to the meaning that an individual has derived from it. Author and video essayist, Lindsay Ellis, takes issue with individuals who apply this theory “to excuse yourself from potential guilt,” and elaborates “you don’t want to examine what that author does with their platform.” In the case of Ye, his enormous platform of mostly young people are more likely to be influenced by bigoted rhetoric. As evidenced by the variety of brands terminating contracts with Ye, it seems like most people agree that an artist is not entitled to their platform if the public disagrees with them. Giving financial support to an artist through direct means like buying merchandise, attending concerts, and amplifying their voices on social media are also somewhat taboo. But the problem of their work still remains; should an individual deprive themselves of art they enjoy?

Becca Rothfeld writes about misogynistic philosophers and whether or not their ideas are tainted by their bigotry, and poses the idea that removing their work from our lives is not necessarily the answer. The individual’s responsibility in consuming the works of bigoted artists is complicated from multiple perspectives. Supporting the artist is to condone the actions, and to ignore their wrongdoings is to accept them. Making the artist’s work inaccessible seems a step too far though, as Rothfeld puts it “both because we have an obligation to familiarize ourselves with our checkered history” and because minority communities are often demonized so their censorship becomes justified. That isn’t to say that Ye gets a free pass because of his minority status, more so that his work is meaningful because of his perspective as a minority, and eliminating that perspective sets a dangerous precedent. Rothfeld then refers to the German philosopher Heidegger, existentialist and member of the Nazi Party, saying “Heidegger would have disdained me, a Jewish woman […] I am still violently moved by his writings […] It wounds me that their author displayed such callousness. But should I wound myself further by denying myself something I love?”

I don’t have an answer to this question, but I have a few quick last thoughts. To many, knowing the distasteful words and actions of an artist makes their music less enjoyable. Given aux, I wouldn’t play music of controversial or “canceled” artists. If I already bought the album, the artist already has my money, whether or not I continue to listen to it. Spotify pays artists less than half a cent per stream, so if you stream a few songs, it’s not significant financial support. I’m not the arbiter of justice, so separate art from the artist as long as you can live with yourself.