I am proud to say that I have never in my life understood people who admire pop music stars like they are true revolutionaries with a personal connection to them. I don't have a hard time dropping a fukking pop music entertainer from my list of influences once they reveal their asses to be problematic, sleazy, criminal, corrupt, or whatever it is.
I just never viewed pop records as being more deep than it is: an entertainment product. Especially nowadays where most artists don't write or produce their own music, they don't know how to even play an instrument, everything sounds exactly the same for radio and clubs, AI robots can spit out a CGI "artist" and produce tracks all by themselves, which speaks to the fact that any jack ass with stilettos, a manicure, and social media followers can become a huge star overnight, and music is being mass produced purely for consumption and not for arts sake more than ever. I will never know what impresses people so damn much about Beyonce, Kanye, Taylor Swift, and the like to produce such rabid fans. I never regarded West as anymore than one of the better producers out there. But I grew up during the age of Ice Cube, 2pac, and Public Enemy so I know what real rappers who happen to also be serious (not contrarian) political thinkers look like, and Kanye's pop shyt records and admiration of elite European fashion culture ain't it.
Call me back when my favorite academics, scholars, REAL artists (as in drawing/painting), writers, journalists and activists are showing their asses on Tucker Carlson Tonight and wearing White Lives Matter shirts.