Rhetorical Analysis Of I Love Kanye

As Rap, Hip Hop, and RnB become ever so popular in present music, the ideas of authenticity and black identity transfer from similar ideologies gathered from Blues music to that of the current Rap and RnB artists. I want to explore how stereotypes of Black artists reinforce our beliefs of authenticity, also how do Black artists recognize the need from their audience to live as authentically as possible, but display their Black empowerment through the rejection of the stereotypes placed on them.

In the first place, I wanted to analyze the retaliation of the Black artist against the accusations of becoming a sell-out, and losing what the audience views as authentic. For this reason, I chose Kanye West’s, I Love Kanye. In this song West directly

Among the genre of Rap, many white artists are shut down almost immediately because inherently their skin color is believed to not be an indicator of authenticity. However, the lines are blurred--quite literally--when bi-racial artists like Drake and J Cole hit the scene. Particularly, Pusha T’s diss track, The Story of Adidon, is a defamatory song about Drake. Just the cover art of the song, is a non-photoshopped picture of Drake in blackface wearing a Jim Crow t-shirt. Pusha then samples the beat from The Story of OJ by Jay-Z, which is also a discussion on racial identity, authenticity, and perceptions as a black man. (Pusha T)” Confused, always felt you weren’t Black enough / Afraid to grow it ‘cause your fro wouldn’t nap enough”. Here Pusha T references insecurities that Drake has had about his blackness, and uses how he styles himself as proof that maybe he is not Black enough. Later throughout the track, likewise to Kanye, he reduces Drake’s authenticity of his identity by exposing Drake on having a secret child with a white woman named

The title of the song is both a reference to the clothing brand popularized in the 90s by Hip Hop artists and the acronym signifying that this track is “For Us, By Us”. In this song, she directs attention to the relatable prejudices that Black audiences experience every day, (Knowles)” When you’re driving in your tinted car / And you’re criminal, just who you are / But you know you’re gonna make it far”. In addition, with her chorus, “All my niggas in the whole wide world / Made this song to make it all y'all's turn / For us, this shit is for us”, she addresses the black community and encourages them to take ahold of what they have, the world is their oyster. She further addresses the oppressive community and demands them to just leave stuff for us, (Knowles) “Some shit you can’t touch” like popular black culture and the