Rise and Fall of Kanye West: From Iconic Artist to Pop Culture Parody – What Went Wrong?

Kanye West is at the centre of several debates in pop culture. After all, everything in his pop culture persona has been about making a statement. From his prolific albums to his eccentric persona, West (also known as Ye) had been beloved by his fans. Not only was he revered for his public persona and social affluence, but his dedication as an artist to push the envelope attracted those who would otherwise be hard to impress.

And yet, the mighty have fallen. West, 45, is now married to Bianca Censori, an architectural designer, and makes frequent public appearances alongside her. This comes after the dissolution of his eight-year-long marriage with American personality Kim Kardashian, a failed effort at becoming the president of the United States, and a series of anti-Semitic remarks which took away Kanye West’s credibility. Moreover, it cost him several high-profile deals with the likes of Adidas, the reverence of his massive fanbase, and any possibility of reclaiming his former status in pop culture any time soon.

3 things you need to know

• Kanye West made his debut in 2004 with The College Dropout.
• He won his first Grammy in 2005 for the same.
• West was one of the candidates in the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections.

Kanye West’s ascension

Kanye West first made a strong impression after collaborating with Jay-Z on his classic The Blueprint (2000). While he’d still taken his time to release his debut effort, and some of the rapping by West had been recorded while he had a broken jaw, the rapper delivered The College Dropout, which instantly became a hit, eventually scoring a Grammy Award for Best Album and Best Rap Song simultaneously.

He delivered other iconic albums such as Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), 808s Heart Breaks (2008) and his magnum opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). It was in the 2010s when an erraticism had overtaken Kanye West. His appearances at award shows where he’d insulted the likes of Amy Schumer and Taylor Swift or the 2016 infamous Ellen DeGeneres interview where he’d seemed unhinged. Even still for many years to come, West delivered hit albums such as Yeezus (2013), The Life of Pablo (2016), Ye (2018), and the Donda series (2021).

West’s sudden fall from grace

Kanye has often spoken about being bipolar, and Kim Kardashian, who was married to West from 2014 to 2022, said back in 2020 via an Instagram post, “As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder. Anyone who has it or who has a loved one in their life who suffers from it knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand.” This was when West had tried his hand at securing the presidency, and sank further when his dream didn’t materialise.

Then began a constant plunge for the Real Friends rapper, who faced heavy ostracization for his anti-Semitic comments about the media in 2022. X (Twitter), a platform he’d liberally used before, banned him for his racist remarks. Moreover, a troubled relationship with actress Julia Fox after separating from Kim and beefing with her then-boyfriend Pete Davidson further damaged his career. Fox has recently spoken about how she felt like a replacement for Kim. Now, the Power rapper made his return to the stage in August 2023 to support Travis Scott. It is not yet clear where there is any redemption in the cards for him, but there is no doubt to the fact that Ye is troubled.