Kanye defends Chris Brown on “˜Storytellers’

Kanye Omari West has had some ridiculous quotes in the past year alone, but he may have outdone himself when he held forth on various topics while filming his “VH1 Storytellers” special.

“Can’t we give Chris a break? … I know I make mistakes in life.” Oh no he didn’t.

Of course, the Chris Mr. West is referring to is the same Chris whose name has been in the mouths of the media for the past three weeks: Chris Brown. In short, Kanye is defending the actions of Brown, who has been accused with the assault and battery of his girlfriend, R&B singer Rihanna.

While this is old news, Kanye’s opinion of the incident has been unmentioned until now. Kanye couldn’t really pick a worse time to weigh in on this controversy, seeing as the picture of Rihanna’s battered and swollen face hit the Internets sometime last week. To be fair, the “Storytellers” episode probably was filmed before Kanye saw Ri Ri’s unfortunate, TMZ-watermarked face. If he had, his comments might’ve been different.

And that doesn’t fully explain or exonerate West’s comments. It is pretty hard to explain away those injuries as a “mistake.” And what kind of mistake has Kanye made comparable to Chris Brown’s?

But I digress.

First of all, I don’t know why Kanye would come out so publicly about this issue when his “big brother,” mentor and idol Jay-Z previously has been quoted as saying that Chris Brown is a dead man walking. Albeit it wasn’t a direct quote, so who can measure the veracity of that? But at the same time, given that Rihanna is one of Jay’s former artists, it would seem to make sense that Papa Bear might get mad if his protege was savaged by some gum-hawking, dancing teenager.

What’s especially interesting is if you combine this new statement with Kanye’s well-documented need for approval (especially from Jay-Z).

On “Graduation’s” final track, “Big Brother,” Kanye explains how much he looks up to Jay, his mentor and benefactor, and how bitter he is about feeling overlooked by Jay on several occasions. After a declaration of adoration like that, it seems incongruous that Kanye would come out and speak directly contrary to what was rumored to have been said by Jay, when it seems like all Kanye wants is approval.

However this desire for approval is in direct conflict with another one of Kanye’s impulses: to say whatever comes to mind. No really, Kanye has no self-editing. His infamous quotes always sound like petulant uncontrolled outbursts.

I don’t know if Kanye experiences any cognitive dissonance from this. The guy wants everyone to like him. And yet, he is completely willing to burn bridges with anyone who slights him in the least. This duality is perfectly illustrated by Kanye’s recent comments about Thom Yorke and Radiohead during the very same “Storytellers” session.

Basically, Yeezy was looking for some props from Radiohead backstage at the Grammys, where both were scheduled to perform. Apparently, Thom Yorke failed to give said props, and Kanye said he sat down during Radiohead’s performance, a clear gesture of disrespect.

This is a classic sour grapes situation. Kanye really admires Radiohead and wants the band’s approval, but when he doesn’t get it, he couldn’t care less about them and then speaks out about them.

The thing is, Thom may have just not seen him. Or he may have been too busy thinking about mankind’s impending doom by environmental catastrophe and totalitarianism and what to make his text-to-speech program say to notice Kanye’s new shag haircut. I mean, Thom Yorke seems like one of the least likely people to schmooze backstage, if his artistic output and reclusive nature are any indication of pre-show behavior.

But this sort of benefit of the doubt does not exist with Kanye. You’re either with him or against him. You either think he’s the greatest and respect his music, or you’re just a hater who can’t recognize real. In this way, he’s no different from commercial rival 50 Cent, who shares a similar line-in-the-sand mentality. The only difference is Kanye is passive-aggressive where Fitty is just plain aggressive.

What we’re left with is a tremendously creative guy with an equally tremendous chip on his shoulder. And despite all his faults, that’s exactly why he’s so compelling.

The reason that Kanye is one of my favorite MC’s (let alone musicians) is the fact that he combines open vulnerability with an unwavering belief in himself. Despite the fact that he isn’t one of the best MC’s technically speaking (a distinct drop off in internal rhymes since “College Dropout”), some of his lines hit you like a ton of bricks due to their simplicity and honesty. And even the ones that sometimes ring of his infamous bravado, ego or arrogance can be inspiring.

The point being, I’m usually able to see Kanye’s over-the-top pronouncements as an extension of his self-confidence, which I appreciate for its infectiousness. However, I have a harder time reconciling Kanye’s overpowering ego and desire to be appreciated with his willingness to make enemies. Maybe his ego is so overwhelming that he just refuses to accept that anyone could possibly not like him and thus discounts anyone who he perceives to do so.

I guess what I wish would happen is for Kanye to just keep making generic statements about his greatness, rather than weighing in on certain topics and making enemies. Maybe I’ve grown fond of Kanye’s fervent egotism because it represents a more appealing alternative than the crippling self-doubt that accompanies the life of the college student. Who’s going to think you’re the best? I guess me, if it isn’t you.

But when Yeezy starts acting out his ego by making contrarian statements regarding domestic violence and beefing with people for little to no reason, he’s no different than Curtis Jackson.

If you have devoted countless column inches to Kanye West and are powerless to stop it too, e-mail Ayres at [email protected].