He wasn’t wrong when he said “Get ready to have a field day, press” in his most recent troubling ‘rant’ in Sacramento. A day after walking out of his own concert, Kanye West cancelled his 20-plus remaining Saint Pablo Tour dates and has now reportedly been hospitalised “for his own health and safety”. Expectedly, there is very little additional information available besides the basics of his hospital admission, according to NBC, but many suspect the events of the past month, which include wife Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery, may have taken their toll on the rapper. Billboard reports sources as saying he may be suffering from exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
Discussion of mental illness within the hip-hop community hasn’t ever been as loud as it has been in 2016, with many of today’s most influential rappers (Kendrick, Vic Mensa, T-Pain, Kid Cudi) addressing their own battles at various points this year. Kanye has long expressed his uphill battles in trying to achieve success in his career, and its now multiple avenues, and while a lot of us have dismissed many of his words and actions as “Kanye just being Kanye”, few could have expected things to take this much of a turn.
Kanye’s opposers are always very vocal when it comes to his ‘antics’ but in this instance, his supporters have made sure their voices are heard following news of his hospitalisation. Fans, many of whom are highly respected musicians in their own right, have taken to Twitter to ensure Ye understands how many people are behind him, despite what contrary opinions he may have been hearing more of this week. Here’s hoping Yeezy is getting what he needs to get back to his best and that he gets see some of the kind words the world has for him, some of which you can check out below.
@kanyewest we love u. u r everything u say u are. A genius, an icon. U added greatness to my life. But lifting Trump up kills us. Come home.
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) November 20, 2016
Been knowing the brother upwards of 13 years. Mental healing is a serious thing, no matter what. Stay strong Kanye West. ✊?
— 9th Wonder (@9thwonder) November 22, 2016
Get better soon @kanyewest ? we’re all praying for you.
— TeamKanyeDaily (@TeamKanyeDaily) November 22, 2016
The easy thing to do is make Kanye West jokes.
The compassionate thing to do is hope he’s ok and gets the help he needs.— andy lassner (@andylassner) November 22, 2016
Ya’ll gonna pray for Kanye West like ya’ll prayed for Cudi?
Or do we only care about mental health when it looks respectable?
— Brotha B (@BlakeDontCrack) November 22, 2016
PRAYING FOR KANYE. PRAYING HE HAS THE RIGHT ENERGY SURROUNDING HIM DURING THIS TIME. SENDING PEACE AND LOVE. ??
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) November 22, 2016