Style Maven: Kanye West

In lieu of this month's Presidential debates, while it is taboo to mix racial judgments with politics, considering President Obama is the first African-American President of the United States, the issue is continually brought to light in the media. After the first round of debates where Governor Mitt Romney appeared to have conquered Obama, in response to Obama's reserve during the debate, Michael Eric Dyson , a professor of sociology at Georgetown, made a controversial observation on MSNBC, “Lest we forget this, lest we pretend this doesn’t make a difference, the specter hanging over him is: ‘I can’t come off as too vigorous because then it looks like I’m being an angry black man.’ ” Mr. Dyson postulated that because of the "Angry Black Man Phenomena" Romney was able to play to that strength. Regardless of whether this was, in fact, the intent of Romney's strategy that night, Obama showed no reserve in the final two debates, where Obama showed outright disapproval of Romney's flip-flop policy proposals, without coming off as a brute.

Samsung Galaxy Note II New York Launch Event, October 2012

I recently read an essay by Professor of Sociology at Ferris State University, Dr. David Pilgrim on “The Brute Caricature” which summarizes a brief history of the “Angry Black Man” stereotype, its origins coming from the Reconstruction Era of the United States (1867-1877). "The brute caricature portrays black men as innately savage, animalistic, destructive, and criminal -- deserving punishment, maybe death. This brute is a fiend, a sociopath, an anti-social menace. Black brutes are depicted as hideous, terrifying predators who target helpless victims, especially white women. Charles H. Smith (1893), writing in the 1890s, claimed, "A bad negro is the most horrible creature upon the earth, the most brutal and merciless"(p. 181). Clifton R. Breckinridge (1900), a contemporary of Smith's, said of the black race, "when it produces a brute, he is the worst and most insatiate brute that exists in human form" (p. 174)." This stereotype since then has traveled through time, mainly promulgated by the media. From of white supremacist novels of the early 1900s that incited fear and loathing of the African-American male, to the false criminal accusations of black men in the 1980’s and 90’s that fed off the black brute caricature, it has been determined by historians that, in fact, “The brute caricature was a red herring, a myth used to justify lynching, which in turn was used as a social control mechanism to instill fear in black communities.”

I'm Just Me

Halloween is tomorrow, and I thought it funny that Kanye West new collaborative studio album, “Cruel Summer” has come out around this time for he is portrayed in the media himself as somewhat of an “Angry Black Man” of our current generation (especially considering his father, Ray West, was a former member of the Black Panthers). Dr. Pilgrim explained above that the “Angry Black Man” is the most feared person on Earth. Based on his laudable political statements and public rants, not to mention the stunt he pulled against Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards, West is perceived as irrational, politically incorrect, and unpredictable in the public eye. While wildly controversial, the quality of his work in entertainment continue's to quench audience's thirst for innovative, original, and progressive art, music, and fashion, especially in the urban market. It leaves us to beg the question, "Is there method to his madness?" Last month, Kanye West released the collaborative studio album, "Cruel Summer" which featured tracks from current and new members of his G.O.O.D (Getting Out Our Dreams) Music label. Below are the lyrics to one of his emotionally charged tracks, "Cold", a track which, in my fashion, addresses those who don't nay say against him and his mission in entertainment:

Samsung Galaxy Note II New York Launch Event, October 2012

                                                      Can't a young nigga get money any more?

Tell PETA my mink is dragging on the floor

Can I have a bad bitch without no flaws

Come to meet me without no drawers?

Dinner with Anna Wintour, racing with Anja Rubik

I told you mahfuckas it was more than the music

In the projects one day, to Project Runway

We done heard all that loud-ass talking, we're used to it

I'm from where shorties fucked up, double-cupped up

Might even kill somebody and YouTube it

To whoever think their words affect me is too stupid

And if you can do it better than me, then you do it!

We flyer than a parakeet, floatin' with no parachute

Six thousand dollar pair of shoes, we made it to the Paris news!

Don't talk about style cause I embarrass you

Shut the fuck up when you talk to me 'fore I embarrass you

Coachella Valley Music Arts Festival

And the whole industry want to fuck your old chick

Only nigga I got respect for is Wiz

And I'll admit, I had fell in love with Kim

Around the same time she had fell in love with him

Well that's cool, baby girl, do ya thang

Lucky I ain't had Jay drop him from the team

La Familia, Roc Nation

We in the building, we still keep it basement

We flyer than a parakeet, floatin' with no parachute

Six thousand dollar pair of shoes, I made it to the Paris news

Don't talk about style cause I'll embarrass you

Shut the fuck up when you talk to me 'fore I embarrass you

GOOD Music, we fresh, we fresh

Anything else, we detest, detest

Bitch-ass niggas got ass and breasts

All that said, let me ask this quest'

Don't talk to me 'bout style, nigga, I'll mothafuckin' embarrass you

Talking 'bout clothes, I'll mothafuckin' embarrass you

Hollering 'bout some hoes, I'll mothafuckin' embarrass you

Way too cold, I promise you'll need some Theraflu

Get the Theraflu

EDITOR'S LETTER: October 2012

Don't be afraid! I'm Just Me.

I love this photo of Dwight because this photo happened so organically—the way a photo is should turn out: on one of our daily strolls through the park I snapped a few photos of Dwight because the sunlight was illuminating his skin very richly. It increased the crisp blue of his shirt, which was perfect against a backdrop of the vibrant fall colors of mother nature. He struck a few poses, (aside: he has gotten very good at angling his body) and we moved on with our walk. Fast forward to yesterday evening, when I’m down to the wire, and I'm thinking of what photo would represent this month's theme perfectly, and so, I pulled out the photos we took that day earlier in the month. My intent was to find a photo that was dramatic looking, evoking a hint of fright, hence this is the Halloween season, but then I came across the above image. Thinking of the reasons for why I have always loved Dwight, chief among them is that he has never been afraid to be himself. I first saw him from a distance at our Alma Mater's football game my sophomore year of college wearing shorts considerably shorter than other boys at the game. It was an ironic coincidence for me that the first day of class he would burst through the classroom doors. In both instances he carried an energy that read, “I’m just me!”—a refusal to be none other, than Dwight! It’s that glow which I feel has fatalistically drawn me to him, and it is the energy I think we all strive to have ourselves. The thing about his energy is that while it’s obviously loud and controversial at times, it is intoxicating and naturally contagious. I've come to find that his energy comes from a steadfast belief in free speech, speaking up, and being honest, and in my fashion, the worst thing to be is afraid of the truth. The truth helps us grow.

In my fashion, this photo emits that glow from which I first felt when he bust through the doors after the teacher had begun class. I chose it because it is a departure from his normal feminine appeal, and it’s a very good image of him as he is—a strong man. The clutch makes a powerful statement for me because it's pink (a sliver of femininity shining though the masculine pose) and the "I'm Just Me" sticker he got from the 2012 New York City Gay Pride festivities we went to earlier this year is very emblematic of his personality aside from the boyish charm he is channeling.

The point I am trying to make this month is to not be afraid to "get in the bank" and fight the rapids of the river of life. In order to experience the miracles you are meant to experience in your life one must put themselves out in the world, and let people know you are here! Nothing exciting happens to those who sit safely on the riverbank. This month I will be looking into a variety of personalities we have circulating on this planet, going back to my birthday post in which I explored personality types, for I want to attempt to delve into the sartorial aspect of those personalities. This is the perfect month to do so considering this is a time when we are considering turning ourselves into something we're not. Who, or what, will you be for Halloween? Don't be afraid to be who you want to be.

In my fashion, when you are who you want to be you will get where you are meant to be. It’s like Drake says in Nicki Minaj's song, "Moment 4 Life", "Everybody dies, but not everybody lives."