Dropout to Donda: Our Infatuation with Kanye
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If I were to name a notable occasion of unity between the student body throughout my six years at KIS, it would undeniably have to be the evening of August 29th, 2021. Dozens of Instagram stories adorned with the same black square, posted by students of all grades across many international schools. No, it had nothing to do with the Black Lives Matter movement, as the square was almost always accompanied by the green Spotify logo. It was, in fact, the release of Kanye West’s tenth studio album, Donda.
This may come as no surprise to some of you, but from an outsider’s perspective, it’s certainly a puzzling phenomenon. In the international school community, West is far more popular than relatively Gen Z-friendly artists such as Billie Eilish, BTS, or Olivia Rodrigo. How is a 45-year old American rapper able to ignite such excitement from these students, many of whom were born after he released his first album? This was the very question I asked myself that August night, and I began exploring some of his discography for the first time in my life. Ten months later, as of writing this article, I find myself blasting “Touch The Sky” in my Airpods, and West is now the hip-hop act with the third most songs on my playlist, only behind Eminem and EPIK HIGH. (Those of you who know how much I love the latter two will know this is a big deal.)
It seems like the Ye craze has gotten to me as well. Now, I could easily write an entire article about why I got into his music, but this is about the international school community as a whole. So I’ve decided to consult the most well-known Kanye fan from KIS, Joshua Koh (Class of ‘22), about this trend.
Lee: How did you first get into Kanye?
Koh: I never really listened to music, until my friends put me onto popular rappers like Future and Lil Uzi Vert in middle school. I quickly identified hip hop as my favorite genre due to its wide plethora of lyrical and creative possibilities. I kept discovering more artists and subgenres of not only hip hop but music in general, until [I discovered] the greatest and most genre-bending artist: Ye. It’s been history since; he’s the best out there and continues to be.
Lee: Why do you think his music is so popular amongst the international school community?
Koh: Simply put, Kanye is the epitome of sound-good music and artistic depth. He can sell hits and be praised by critics at the same time. So it’s obvious why people are attracted to his music: it’s just good, quality music. Kanye is also the most influential figure in music in the 21st century. Having paved the way for new sounds and subject matter, he has shaped the sounds of the music of today. He has provided the backbone of the international school community’s favorite artists: Drake, Travis Scott, Juice WRLD, etc. It makes sense [that] people would [continue to revisit] the music of the person who shaped the very sound they are in love with.
Lee: What would you say differentiates him from other artists?
Koh: To cite Breaking Bad’s Walter White, Kanye isn’t in the making-art business. He’s in the empire business. After two decades in the game, Kanye doesn’t care about selling music or becoming a music star. He’s done that. Then he focused on becoming a fashion icon. He’s done that, bridging streetwear and luxury fashion with Yeezy and his protégé Virgil Abloh’s “Off White.” Now, he’s focused on real world change. He’s building sustainable communities, helping black people across the nation, providing jobs for people in the U.S. with Yeezy, providing education and careers with Donda schools and sports, and much more. What separates Ye from any other artist is his unwavering confidence and desire to create and make change. When something’s on Ye’s mind, he needs it to be known and he needs to do it. He doesn’t conform to the industry or a label, or anybody at all.
And in case you were wondering, Koh’s favorite song by Ye is “Through The Wire,” his very first single released back in 2003.
It clearly seems that a major factor behind Kanye’s prominent status in the international school community is the popularity of the genre of hip hop itself. I’ve observed that most of this community uses Spotify over Korean streaming platforms such as Melon or Genie, and generally listens to Western artists more than local artists, which fits the bill of being “international.” And in turn, the music that we listen to vastly differs from the top songs on those Korean platforms, which are dominated by K-pop, K-ballad, and K-R&B. The hip hop songs that do rise to the surface of Korean charts are mostly from the rap competition show Show Me The Money, whereas last year, hip hop was the most-streamed genre on Spotify.
The more students begin listening to Western rappers and artists, the more likely they are to eventually reach the pioneer that shaped the sound of modern hip hop, and continues to influence the landscape of music to this day. And a new Ye fan will be born.