Today is yet another hard day to be a Kanye West fan. When College Dropout released in 2004, I was the ripe age of 13. Being black in a predominately white space, College Dropout had a profound effect on my preteen self.  In a place where I felt like I was forced to conform to some type of black stereotype, Kanye and his freshman album gave me the confidence to be myself.  The confidence to accept my blackness no matter how outside the box it was from the stereotypes around me.  To this day when that album comes on, I know all the words and I vibe with it just as much as I did when I was thirteen begging my parents to let me use my allowance to buy the edited version of the album.  

What we sometimes forget is that our idols and heroes evolve and change. Sometimes this change isn’t for the better. Sometimes this change doesn’t mesh with our own personal belief systems. So how do we accept that the artist who molded us, isn't the person we’re faced with today? 

Unfortunately, no matter how many tweets Kanye sends out – he is still in the sunken place.  Sorry, Kanye, your mansion size doesn’t affect how deep in the sunken place you’ve sunk to. It looks like Kanye seems to have yet another bad case of Twitter fingers (much like his supposed “brother").  

After reading a series of tweets from Kanye proclaiming Trump is his brother, donning a Make America Great Again Hat, mocking being in the sunken place by tweeting pictures of his sixty million dollar mansion, and finally attacking Obama on his lack of action in Chicago I finally had enough.  Years of trying to rationalize Kanye’s artistic process have gone out the window.  I have to separate the person I connected with artistically in 2004 to the one I am presented with in 2018.  

While I hate open letters, I feel overwhelmed with so many questions to whom was once a major creative influence to me.  While I'm in agreement with his mindset of loving everyone, why did he have to connect that sentiment with such a hateful person?  A person who hasn’t done anything for our community, let alone his home city.  What happened to the “All Falls Down” Kanye? 

I just have to ask…

Kanye, where was Chicago when you decided to make a Yeezy line celebrating Calabasas instead of your home city?

Kanye, while mocking being in the sunken place in your sixty million dollar mansion, how much of that money could have gone to your community in Chicago that you reprimand Obama for not doing enough for? 

Kanye, you’re supposedly the highest paid in footwear.  How much of that money is going back to Chicago, since you’re so concerned about your city?

Kanye, you’ve wasted countless Twitter characters to defend Trump by claiming to love everyone.  Where is that same energy telling him to love immigrants, love those of a different sexuality, and to love black people? 

Kanye, how can you at the same time say Trump is your brother, you don’t agree with everything he does, and condemn others for lack of action in Chicago when you have seemingly done nothing? What have you done for Chicago? More importantly, what has your brother done for Chicago?

Kanye, while you preach to us about accepting different opinions where is this conversation with your “brother”? Why aren’t you telling him to chill on the Twitter attacks and embrace different opinions? 

Kanye, why have you wasted your time convincing us to open our minds when he has the power, yet hasn’t made an effort to open his mind to us? 

Kanye, how many concerts has Kendrick done in Compton for free? How many have you done for your city of Chicago?

Kanye, your platform is just as great, if not bigger than Trump’s to cause change in the community.  Yet here we are feeding into your hype on sneakers, clothes and Kardashian empires, none of which give back to the city you claim to rep so greatly.  You’re practicing the notion of “love your enemies”, yet your message seems to be lost on your supposed “brother”.  

Kanye, why should I pay $200 plus for your Calabasas apparel when I could give back to your city of Chicago if that’s how you really feel?

“Racism is still alive, they just be concealin’ it” – Kanye West.  A line, Kanye, that you might want to remember.