Listening To Kanye [The Mental Health Files]

December 11th, 2012 by Latoya Peterson

Do you think I sacrificed real life/ For all the fame of flashing lights?/ Do you think I sacrifice a real life/ For all the fame of flashing lights?

There is no Gucci I can buy/ There is no Louis Vuitton to put on /There is no YSL that they could sell

To get my heart out of this hell/ And my mind out of this jail

There is no clothes that I could buy/ That could turn back the time /There is no vacation spot I could fly/ That could bring back a piece of real life/ Real life, what does it feel like?

I ask you tonight, I ask you tonight/ What does it feel like, I ask you tonight/ To live a real life

I just want to be a real boy

They always say Kanye, he keeps it real boy/

Pinocchio story is, I just want to be a real boy/

Pinocchio story is to be a real boy

– Kanye West, “Pinocchio Story,” 808′s and Heartbreak

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Posted in The Mental Health Files, arts & culture, health, hip hop, masculinity, mental health, music | 5 comments

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  • scott

    one connection that you beautifully pointed out in this piece was Joan Morgan’s quote that “that is straight up depression masquerading as machismo.” In the mental health professional there is a lot of literature on the connection between anger and depression. This connection is especially prevalent among males because we are not permitted by societal norms to be depressed. We are taught from an early age that anger is acceptable and we get a lot of practice at it. The result is that almost any intolerable emotion often comes out as our one acceptable emotion: rage. This is also why many men with anger issues are not properly diagnosed with depression.

  • Shazza

    ’808′s and Heartbreak’ is still one of my favorite CDs. People get caught up in Kanye’s hubris and overlook his real talent. I was a Kanye fan from day 1, when I heard ‘Through the Wire’. Him rapping about his car accident? I think he tells really good stories through his raps. He’s one of the few whose CD I go right and get.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000709864513 Michelle Kirkwood

    I didn’t think Kanye was all that great a rapper until I recently saw THE ART OF RAP, a film about old-school/new school rappers talking in detail about how they actually put their songs together (I actually have his first two CDs, mainly because I liked “Gold Digger” and that other beautiful song he did with the singer from Maroon 5. He busted out some pretty good rhymes in the film acapella, which impressed me just enough to realize that he actually CAN rap, unlike some of these young up-and-comers today. Cool to know that he’s actually talked about it,though. The only other rapper I can think of who has been open about his issues in dealing with mental illness/depression in the past is the talented Brad Jordan, aka Scarface, formerly of the Geto Boys—he’s even done raps about it, like their classic 1991 tune “My Mind’s Playing Tricks On Me”. Here’s some articles about Scarface talking about it:

    http://mentalhealthrealities.blogspot.com/2011/07/scarface-bipolar-rapper.html

    http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.14516/title.scarfaces-mental-health-issues-profiled-in-excerpt-from-new-book-on-southern-rap

    But yes, it’s sad how black men/men of color in particular have it banged into their head from birth that they can’t openly show ANY emotion or deal with certain situations other than anger/in anger,and how that’s covered up with drugs/alcohol, which does nothing but add to the illness.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000709864513 Michelle Kirkwood

    Another rapper (who sadly passed away at a young age 3 years ago) who dealt with severe mental problems, and openly discussed them was Baatin, a member of Detroit’s own Slum Village, a rap group that also featured the late J Dilla:

    http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/detroit/index.ssf/2009/08/reports_baatin_of_detroits_slu.html

  • k___bee

    “My Mind’s Playing Tricks On Me” – I was just going to mention that song.

    Thanks to Racialicious, this series is going to be great.