Kanye West's Power Expression

Kanye West once again attempts to push the standards of Hip-Hop, fashion, music, entertainment and now art! Upon the release of his music video for his first single “Power” , West names his and artist Marco Brambilla’s piece a “moving painting” (Via twitter of course). The art piece itself is very moving, it is reminiscent of a scene straight from Michelangelo’s 16th century Sistine Chapel ceiling. The inspiration in the motion painting situates West at the center of the scene with sensual angel figures decorating his surrounding. Kanye West is fully equipped with a gold chain fashioned with an ancient Egyptian medallion of a falcon. This gesture, though glamorous, is also an indication of the theme of the song and the painting; it clearly presents the main figure (West) as being beyond or above humanity as the falcon would represent in ancient Egyptian expressions. The image of West is seemingly ascending from the heavens, juxtaposed to softly moving human figures and a sword battle. The imagery that hoists Kanye West as a contender for divine power is finally climaxed by what appears to be a halo and a sword hovering over West’s head. This symbol alludes to the Greek myth of The Sword of Damocles. In this story Damocles praised Dionysius for the power and influence he holds, whereupon Dionysius grants him that fortune for a test run. Damocles eventually realizes that with the newly acquired power came a hanging sword, a hazard he was not willing to sustain. In Kanye West’s expression the sword is penetrating a halo, maybe an indication that Kanye has once again (blindly or bluntly) expressed his ability to remain virtuous in the hindsight of danger. Yet again, maybe Kanye is slowly constructing, in the most discrete and artful way, a portrait of his egotism. Kanye’s song insinuates that power is dangerous (hence the Sword of Damocles) but what he is exclaiming is that he has been rightfully granted a position of power and influence. Now, it is clear that Kanye’s career has given him fame, wealth, influence and designer clothes, but what Kanye’s song and moving painting fail to express is anything new in respect to his character; his worldview remains narrow. With lyrics that read “I got the power, make yo’ life so exciting” and “Now I embody every characteristic of the egotistic/
He know, he so, f-ckin’ gifted”, superimposed on imagery of religiously justified self centeredness, it is MY turn to ask “Does Kanye NOT seem to have made it sufficiently clear that there can be nothing happy or enlightening about placing oneself in the center of the universe?"

It must be his very own labyrinth of solitude.

Signed, 

TooKul4Skull