Kanye West is man of many talents; he has done everything from being at the top of the music scene, he has created his very own, very successful, clothing line, and he is a contender in one of music’s largest rivalries (one that does not seem to be going away anytime soon). There are countless things that relate to Kanye due to the amount of time he has been involved in the music industry and due to the vast number of things he does outside of his music career. One of the most recent aspects that have had a major impact on how people see Kanye is the music video for one of his more recent songs, “Famous”; this brought a great deal of attention on both him and his music. The next artifact is the infamous scene from the VMAs where Kanye West took the microphone from Taylor Swift after she won the award for Best Female Music Video. The final artifact is his personal clothing line, “Yeezy”, the styles in his designs reflect on him and what he likes as a person. They have also contributed to making him an exceptionally successful designer, especially in the shoe industry. Kanye West is a man whose brand encompasses so much more than your everyday celebrity; his influence can be felt in all aspects of society.

          One major artifact that truly established Kanye’s brand is his infamous VMA speech from the year 2009. In this absolutely iconic scene, viewers witnessed Kanye West take a microphone out of Taylor Swift’s hand after the announcement that she had won Best Female Video with “You Belong with Me” over Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” video. Everyone at home, and in the live audience, was completely in shock over what they had seen, but little would they know that they were witnessing the creation of one of music’s greatest rivalries. The mode of this speech would be visual. This is because it is something that must be seen, it was a live show and a live broadcast. Also, every so many years the video of the speech will resurface and it will become another popular topic. The media of delivery is both digital and face-to-face due to the nature of the show. This was a shock to all audience members which included other musicians and the at home TV watchers. Since this was such a shock to everyone that watched, this was soon circulating the internet and news network because it was so hard to believe. Kanye appeared to know what he was doing, despite being highly intoxicated, because he made it speech short and simple. He said, “Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!”, (Kreps, 2009). These words were enough to have a lasting impact on the relationship between Kanye and Taylor. He chose to do this because it was the perfect platform to express his disagreement towards the results of the award given. The genre of his speech would fall under both persuasive and informative; he was sharing his beliefs while also trying to persuade others to see it from his perspective. This had the largest contribution of all things he has ever done to Kanye’s brand; this gave a lot of people their first real taste of exactly who he was and what he thought. Some may choose to view him as being passionate for sticking up for his beliefs, while others saw him as being a problem starter or as being disrespectful. Either way, this event pushed him farther into the eye of the media.

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          Another major artifact that has contributed to Kanye’s brand in the past year would be his music video for the song “Famous”. This music video made its debut in June of 2016, it was the center of all attention for numerous weeks following its release and it is still exceptionally popular today. Kanye made the bold choice of focusing his music video on other pop culture icons rather than himself; however, he did this in a manner that could probably be considered defamation of character since all the celebrities are pictured lying naked in a bed together. Since this is in fact a music video, the mode of this artifact would have to be both visual and audio; each of these factors play a heavy role in the message of the music and contribute to the overall way in which it is received by the audience. The media for this is digital since it is seen via media players on YouTube or Vevo; however, prior to the release of this controversial video the bed, with the mannequins on it, were available to be viewed as an art display for a limited amount of time. This was how images and rumors about the video had been spread prior to its actual release; the fact that this happened probably increased the ‘hype’ associated with the release of the new song and video. Kanye obviously released this video with the intention of appeasing his fans, but it really attracts the attention of all members of society who hear the stories of the celebrities pictured. The drama embedded in the video and song attracts all people; also, the buzz in the media probably turned people towards his other music, thus increasing his following.

          In the video, his ideas are presented in an original method that adds to the impact of the lyrics and images; the presence of rap music along with explicit photography/ videography make it something to remember, no matter who watches. The colors in the video are muted and slightly pixelated, giving it a home video vibe; it is almost as though it was done with the intention of making it come across as being scandalous. The style and design that he presents this in makes the video eye-catching and it encourages a wider audience to take part in watching it. Additionally, the music video falls under the persuasive genre; the method in which he presents his ideas will make those who view the video see things from his perspective. The overall music video had a major impact on Kanye’s brand due to the amount of attention it brought upon him, both good and bad. It put him back on the pop culture stage and it also brought him into the political scene with the appearances of George Bush and Donald Trump; this opened him up to a great deal of backlash, but it also probably gained him more “followers” in the sense that they would want to see how he could follow that song up.

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          The final artifact that greatly impacts his brand would be his actual “Yeezy” clothing brand. Now most celebrities these days do choose to expand their “empire” into cosmetics, clothes, or shoes, but for some reason his clothing line really took off and ended up inspiring other clothing lines to mimic his designs. In relation to outfits, he has also started a widely popular shoe brand that has rocked the shoe industry to its core. The mode would have to be visual because one can either see the clothes in person or you can find images of his latest designs. Also, typically following the release of each “season”, one can find the pictures plastered in major magazines and on major news networks. The media for this artifact would be both face-to-face and digital; both come from the fact that it is clothing that people can purchase and wear, but also images flood the internet and can be found on all social media platforms.

The clothes are most likely created for his fans as the audience, but it could also include those that are involved in the fashion industry in terms of critiquing, producing, and selling the clothes. Kanye’s clothing line is very distinct in its neutral, post-apocalyptic style. This style most likely represents a minimalistic style that he either likes or wants to see more of in society. The fact that so many clothing lines choose to replicate his designs increases the desire for his clothes and sets him up to have a much larger impact on society. The release of his clothing line has had a major influence on his brand as a whole; it has helped to push him from just being another celebrity, to a household name in relation to the fashion industry. Everything from his outfit designs to his popular shoe styles contribute to making him a major style icon.

          All three of these artifacts contribute to the image of Kanye as a major pop culture icon today. His brand is important because it represents the addition of innovative ideas and stylistic choices in both the music and fashion industries. Kanye’s actions contribute to something much bigger than himself in pop culture; he is the beginning of a new wave of idea. Kanye has started the revolution of major musicians getting involved in aspects of society beyond their realm. He is not afraid to attract the attention of all those around him, despite any problems it may spawn for him and his family. He is a force to be reckoned with in society and will continue to be a major icon in all that he does.

Works Cited

Kreps, Daniel. “Kanye West Storms the VMAs Stage During Taylor Swift's Speech.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 13 Sept. 2009, www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kanye-west-storms-the-vmas-stage-during-taylor-swifts-speech-20090913 .