Kim Kardashian Didn't Break Kanye West, Kanye Broke Kanye

While she is problematic on her own, no woman is responsible for a man’s toxic behavior

For those of you who don’t know, Kim Kardashian is someone who became rich and famous for having the type of body that Black and Brown women have been shamed over for years. She made news earlier today when it was revealed that she and comedian Pete Davidson had broken up. In response, Kim’s ex-husband, and everyone’s favorite emotionally unstable rapper, Kanye West put out a pretty distasteful Instagram post celebrating the news. As I’m sure Kanye hoped would happen, his post created a media circus that no one needed or cared for. Kanye’s cornball-ish and attention-hungry behavior isn’t new, but it feels like there was a shift.

How did he go from the guy who wrote “The College Dropout” and called out George Bush and the Republican Party’s racism towards Black residents in New Orleans, to this caricature of a man? How did he go from the first rapper to speak out on LGBTQ issues, to the person who says Trump is like a “Father Figure” to him? Kayne’s evolution has been painful to watch, as someone who got a front-row seat to his rise, its been so sad to see the person who helped to politicize me, and talked about Black love/power in a way I had never seen before, turn into the Ben Carson of Rap.

I have had this debate with countless friends, so I know what folks will default to his mental health. Yes, Kanye absolutely needs support, but that feels like a disrespectful, and a lazy excuse to the people living with similar challenges, and far fewer resources. They do not behave the way that Kanye does.

There’s a small cadre of people who blame the Kardashians, specifically Kim. Over the course of her career, she has been accused of all kinds of things, but the loudest example of criticism has been her proximity and romantic relationships with Black men. There are many who feel like she uses her relationships with them to legitimize herself to their audience; and once she has secured that, she dismisses them. Did she suck Kanye in, use his cultural capital and then fuck his mind up? I doubt it. As much as it hurts to say, the Kayne we are living with isn’t the fault of anyone else but Kanye.

If you think about Kanye’s behavior over the last seven years, it becomes clearer that he doesn’t really f*** with us. He’s deathly silent on social issues; the only time he talks to us is when he has an album coming out or a new pair of Yeezy’s. He criticizes our communities for our “love of consumerism” and then sells plain white tee’s for hundreds of dollars. Pricing out the poor and low-income people that supported him from day one.

Kim might think that this is a smart play, but she is not the cause of this, she is a trophy because if you are a true fan of Kayne, you know how much validation from white people is important to him. This might feel uncomfortable but think about it. For as long as he has been in the industry, he has pined for acknowledgment. Whether it be by white fashion designers or the temper tantrums he publicly exhibited when white-run media outlets denied him accolades.

Kanye has always aspired to be acknowledged by and celebrated by white people. If we’re being honest, that’s probably the most relatable part about him. Think about it, if you are Black, or a non-Black person of color, there is no way you can be successful in this country without conforming to the dominant culture. And sure, Black people are at the forefront of the art, but white supremacy is still the dominant culture here. Because of that, white acknowledgment to him, just as it was to me (and sometimes still does) equates to success.

But how does a Black man show outwardly that he has been successful in a world he has no power in? There are only a few ways, the most effective sign of success is your proximity and closeness to whiteness. And that’s who Kim was, so yes. She might have been someone he aspired to be with, but she isn’t the one who made him who he is. Kayne did that.