The passage of time is an unstoppable force which has plagued man since its beginning. In his song “Power”, Kanye West laments that his “…child-like creativity, purity and honesty is honestly being crowded by these grown thoughts…” because time has bestowed new responsibilities and power upon him. What kind of power does West have? He mentions that he lives in a “white man’s world” and as a male of color he has been chosen. What has he been chosen for? Perhaps he is chosen to lead his people out of their slavery to the white-man’s system. Through his music and his own power, he can set an example for others to rise above their current social status in order to overthrow the white man from his position of power. It is interesting then, that the images in his music video are suggestive of ancient Egypt, because like Moses led the Jews out of Egyptian rule, West’s apparent objective is to lead all people out of the “white man’s world”. But West thinks he is not capable of possessing this much power. When one man holds too much power, he must give it up, or it will have to be taken from him. As Lord Acton said in his letter to Bishop Creighton, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Kanye West also claims power over the people he is leading, especially women. In his video, the women appear not only as servants to him, but as sexual objects. His lyrics make it clear that he does not need women, although they seem to want him. West says, “I don't need your pussy, bitch I'm on my own dick” because he does not need women’s help and they do not have the power in his relationship with them. In the music video, several women are reaching towards him, even crawling at his feet, but no women are sitting on the same level as him. The closest woman to West in the video is placed at his feet, where all of the women seemingly belong. The costumes women wear in the video are important as well, they are all dressed in very little clothing and posing in ways that suggest servitude, desire, and sexual gratification. The horned women immediately to his right and left are his servants and protectors, while the women pouring water over themselves and kissing each other are his personal sexual objects. The women crawling toward him on the ground and the ones reaching out of the sky at West symbolize women’s need for him, and the fact that he does not acknowledge any of them shows his superiority. One woman is not posing however; she is merely sitting at his feet. The most dignified woman in the entire scene still belongs at his feet.
As the video continues, West begins to address his mortality and acknowledges that his power must come to an end. Sometimes people do not follow the right people, so unlike Moses, West will have to relinquish his power or die when another chooses to take it. The assassins in the video show that even the most powerful leaders can be overthrown and potentially forgotten forever. Although he is doing his best to empower people over the ruling class through his music, there is resistance to his movement and he could lose everything if his supporters do not defend him. Time is his worst enemy now, as every moment passes, he is closer to the end of his career. The sword hanging menacingly over his head is a symbol of his impending doom. He can feel his own power corrupting him as time passes too, stealing the youthful innocence he once possessed. It is easy to see how time affects his world in the music video, and how everything falls apart when it passes. As the video opens, there is almost no movement in the scene. When West begins rapping the frame begins to move faster and faster as his time runs out. By the end of the video the people are falling out of the sky, sparks are flying, and his assassins take their opportunity to silence him forever. West’s attempts to save people from one ruling power have failed. After the video ends but the lyrics continue, West decides that it is time for him to give up his power. He symbolizes the end of his career as the end of his life, and he indicates that the best way for him to end everything is to willingly relinquish his power by “…jumping out the window Letting everything go…”
Power is dynamic and cruel; those who encounter it one day may lose it the next. It is corrupting and evil at times, but when used properly, it can lead to change that affects an entire nation. West has claimed a great deal of power, but throughout his song he mentions that it is too much, he cannot handle it. He may have been “chosen” but according to West “No one man should have all that Power”. So what does this mean? Like so many other men and women before him, West was not capable of using and retaining his power with the responsibility and integrity he knew that he should have. Unlike other corrupt leaders, West realizes that he must relinquish his power, if he does this, maybe someone with more strength can lead people out of the oppression of today’s monochromatic society. In order to show the chaos that ensues when a leader is corrupted, the picture begins to break apart as the music video progresses. West begins to recognize that he must relinquish his power as his song continues, but before he gives up his position, two assassins make their move to end his life. What does this say about his career? He has two options; he can let go of his career and his fame, or he can continue until a new rapper gains popularity and replaces him. If West was replaced by his people, he would lose his livelihood, his fame and his power.
Works Cited:
Kanye West. "Power." Rec. 30 June 2010. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Kanye West and Symbolyc One. CD.
Charny, Israel W. Encyclopedia of Genocide. Oxford: ABC-Clio, 2000. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment