If no one is going to step up to the plate and come forth as God, then it might as well be Kanye West. I’m kidding. But, I don’t believe that he is God by any means. Polytheistically speaking, he may be the “God of Creativity”, that may be a stretch, but he is certainly not a God himself. In my personal opinion, Kanye West is a creative genius and he uses his art to promote the word of God in his special way. I want to focus on the fundamental basis of how God want’s us to live our lives and compare them to what Kanye West is trying to accomplish as a self-proclaimed “God” by using his short film, Runaway, as an example because the two have very similar beliefs. God wants us to live a glorious life, love with all of your heart, and to show forgiveness for all of the sinners. Most importantly he wants you to be able to have patience, promote, praise, promise and to have provisions. These principles are shared by Kanye West and God. So, doesn’t that make them the same person? Absolutely, not. He is not the only human being to proclaim himself as “God”, but I believe that he is the only relevant, non-threatening person who is trying to do right by the world since maybe Mother Theresa. That is why I have devoted my faith to the Hip Hop Cathedral of Kanye West. Again, I am just pulling your chain. Let’s entertain the idea that his purpose in life is to just make meaningful art that promotes a good message because right now he is going through a tough time and everyone is giving him a lot of grief that he doesn’t need. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is Kanye’s magnum opus album. Most fans of this album have not even seen his short film Runaway that he directed for the album. This man is a creative genius and has every right to say that he is. Kanye West takes a basic love story and makes it so inhuman to us that it makes us realize our mankind’s potential. Instead of the story of a male and a female, it is set between a half-phoenix-half woman and a man. Kanye wants you to meet a companion that is completely different from you, hence bringing different people together and opening up your mind to new worlds. In the film, Griffin, played by West, saves her/this creature after crash landing on earth. Kanye wants you to be your own savior. The only person who can save you is yourself. How can you save anyone if you can’t save your own self? As she wakes up for the first time in the film, she comes into contact with human objects and becomes intrigued by the television screen showing the news. Griffin then tells her that the first thing you need to know in the world is to never pay attention to anything on the news. The lesson being taught here is that Kanye only wants you to listen to yourself, not what anyone else tells you. Another notable scene is where Griffin begins to create, playing a remix version of POWER, where the Phoenix begins to dance. Kanye wants you to have the power to tame your inner beast, the power to create your own destiny. If you can accomplish this then nothing can stop you. That is what Kanye wants us to realize; that anything is possible. If you were to spend a day with Kanye, this short film is the perfect example of what it would be like. Now, if you were to be a woman on a date with Kanye he would throw a parade for you with a marching band, fireworks, and paper mache floats of Michael Jackson. That’d be a first date that I’d like to take a girl on. Why? This is because Kanye wants you to only give the best things and an opportunity to the people that you care about. Most importantly, I need to touch on the dinner party scene. Griffin enters his dining room full of people of all cultures that are dressed the same. He and the Phoenix are the only ones who look different, showing their ability to be original free-thinking, non-conformist individuals. Despite being gossiped about at his own dinner party in his own house, Griffin/Kanye West wants you to be your own person. Not what other people want you to be. Every day of my life I just want to walk away from a group of conformists and go up to a piano and start pounding it. Every day I resonate with this moment in the film because it is hard to run or break away from a group to openly free think to be your own self that you want to express to the world. As he pounds the keys on the piano, playing the opening riff to Runaway, he summons ballerinas as his dinner party entertainment. This is Kanye summoning his inner peace and that is what he wants you to do in this life; find inner enlightenment. If you cannot do these things, then how can you be able to be your own individual and follow your dreams? Here is the key point’s that Kanye is trying to make in this short film that coincides with God: 1. Love yourself, be your own savior so that you are able to have salvation for others. (Love and Forgiveness) 2. Only listen to what comes from your heart. Listen to yourself, not others. (Praise) 3. Tame your inner beast in order to create your destiny. If you can do this, anything is possible. The only one stopping you from your dreams is yourself and it takes some time to become one with the self. (Patience) 4. Only provide the absolute best love and care for the people that matter in your life. Give your best to the people of the world. (Provision) 5. Be a free-thinking individual because you are original. Don’t conform. Don’t be a copy, be yourself. (Promote) 6. Find inner peace with yourself. Enlightenment will find you at your best. If you are at your best then you can pursue your dreams and be the best fit to obtain the life that you want. (Promise) These are all the same principles that God’s from most religions big and small preach. Does this make Kanye a God or disciple of Jesus Christ himself? That is up to you to decide after you watch this short film with my idea’s and thoughts in mind. Remember, “The Zos Knows”. -David Zosel If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links: I will give 10% of the proceeds to ONETREEPLANTED, a charity that plant trees to restore life to degraded lands all over the world. For every dollar donated there will be one tree planted. |