Kanye West “Famous”: Perfectly Exposes Celebrity Obsessed Culture

Controversial Kanye West Attacks Viewers With His Latest Work From ‘The Life Of Pablo

Seems like every time Kanye West does something, America loves to cause an uproar about it. For the artist, this is nothing new as his recent work has become polarizing to say the least. But it’s not just West. That’s how the martyrdom of fame works for everyone; you put someone on a pedestal just to strike them down. We live in a celebrity obsessed culture where Kardashians and Taylor Swift’s love life rule the media. Leaked sextapes or nudes have propelled people to instant stardom. Domestic violence cases become tabloid gold.

All of this while normal people sit back and judge.

Then Kanye West releases his newest music video for the song titled “Famous” causing people to get pissed. Many trash it for exploiting celebrities while others bash it for claiming to be art. I, on the other hand, found “Famous” to be a perfect representation of what audiences crave as pop culture crazed consumers.


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In what seems like a reflection on his most memorable moments, the video starts off with some of the craziest quotes in Kanye West history. Then it cuts to a shaky handheld camera panning over bodies. This looks like the start of a celebrity sextape. West’s first verse begins with the now infamous line “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? Because I made that bitch famous“. As that line plays in the video, we see a naked Taylor Swift next to Kanye West. The next line in the song is about women who’ve had sex with West and became famous. Camera quickly goes from Kim Kardashian to Amber Rose, the ex of Kanye.

Like I said, this comes off like a creepy greatest hits of Kanye.

The video was “not in support or [against] any of [the people in the video]” and was merely “a comment on fame”
Kanye West

Also on this massive bed with West is Rihanna, Chris Brown, Anna Wintour, Donald Trump, George Bush, Caitlyn Jenner, and Bill Cosby. There’s a connecting from each one of these celebrities to Kanye West. Rihanna appears on the song and has been a long-time friend of West. She also dated Chris Brown, the man charged with assaulting her. Interestingly enough, they lay right next to each other in the bed. George Bush was called out by Kanye for not caring about black people following Hurricane Katrina. Trump is a presidential nominee, someone West may face off with in 2020. Anna Wintour is named dropped on the album, so is accused rapist Bill Cosby. Finally, Caitlyn Jenner who was formally known as Bruce Jenner was married to Kanye’s wife’s mother. As shockingly random as these celebrities may seem, it’s a surprisingly genius move on the end of West.

While breaking down his personal life, West is also feeding into the madness that is pop culture. All of the people included are names people can’t keep off their lips. He’s giving everyone the dirt they desire but in the most exaggerated manner. We need moments like this to feed the zeitgeist; shit-stirrers like Kanye West make pop culture happen. Exploitation can be needed to shake things up and expose flaws within the way of current thinking. West just does it a bit more brash than others.

It seems like the more Kanye openly mocks how outrageous pop culture and celebrity life, the more people hate him. The moment you become aware of the insanity, you can use it to your advantage. Something West continues to do; I just wonder how he is ever going to top this.

Check out my review for ‘The Life Of Pablo‘ by clicking here.

What do you think of “Famous” by Kanye West?

Let me know in the comments below.

Kanye West

EJ Moreno
EJ Morenohttp://Vimeo.com/EJMoreno
Who is EJ Moreno? Is he a trained physician? No. Is he a former Miss Universe contestant? Possibly. With a bachelors degree in film and a love of pop culture, he brings an alternative view to the world of pop culture journalism. Follow him on Twitter @EJKhryst and check out his film work at Vimeo.com/ejmoreno