Has the Kanye West Comeback Officially Arrived?

By Jason Newman Posted Jun 28th 2010 05:15PM

Give Chris Brown credit for something at Sunday night's BET Awards: It's damn near impossible, under normal circumstances, to upstage the bravado, hubris and personality of Kanye West. But while Brown's (contrived?) breakdown has dominated coverage of the event, the awards show may have served as the official comeback of Kanye West, not seen on stage since bumrushing Taylor Swift at last year's MTV Video Music Awards.

The rapper had been relatively quiet since the incident, airing out personal grievances and self-reflection on his blog, but generally avoiding major media appearances to focus on 'Good Ass Job', his fifth studio album. Last month, the King Crimson-sampling West track 'Power' was leaked, hinting at the start of West's musical re-ascendancy.

But an Internet leak is nothing compared to West's performance at the awards. Standing defiantly atop a smoke-billowing volcano with flashes of lightning periodically lighting up the stage, Kanye, consciously or not, stood like Zeus surveying the heavens, rhyming more in proclamations than mere sentences. With what looked like an IMAX nature doc film in the background, West barreled through the track, displaying the charisma that helped propel him to one of music's most polarizing and entertaining figures in the past ten years.

Check out Kanye's performance of 'Power' at the BET Awards:

Kanye has always been one to value speaking his mind over the consequences of his actions, though in retrospect, it's bizarre to admit the Taylor Swift incident was the one that forced him into hiding. West has said and done more inflammatory things but, more importantly, other celebrities have done far worse. Kanye was shunned for interrupting an acceptance speech at an awards show. Chris Brown, the other comeback story of the night, pled guilty to felony assault on his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Selection bias aside, the crowd's thunderous applause for each puts what Kanye did (and didn't do) in perspective and says, "If America can forgive Chris Brown -- or R. Kelly or any other celebrity who does the PR shame/redemption dance -- Kanye shouldn't have any problem getting his career back on track."

So the question now is, what should Kanye do from here? Exactly what he would've done had the VMAs never happened. Kanye's popularity, in part, has always been based on his own personality's duality; the public visualization of his battle between id and ego that most of us wrestle with internally. He admitted that alcohol fueled, at least partly, his outburst, so that's a tangible thing to control in the future. But in the end, it's hard to imagine anyone not buying a Kanye album because of lingering feelings over a silly non-controversy from last year. Whether 'Good Ass Job' passes the musical test is what should be the focus on West's continued longevity, or lack thereof.

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Kanye West Photos

Kanye West waves to fans in Hollywood, California. More Kanye photos >>

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Kanye West Snapshots

Kanye West Foundation Chief Executive Officer Joseph Collins (R) and Chicago Public School Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman (second from right) are interviewed with students at the Kanye West Foundation's 3rd annual Stay in School event at the Farragut Career Academy on June 8, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Kanye West Foundation's 3rd Annual Stay In School Event Farragut Career Academy Chicago, IL United States June 8, 2010 Photo by Paul Warner/WireImage.com To license this image (60680843), contact WireImage.com

Kanye West Snapshots

Kanye West Foundation Chief Executive Officer Joseph Collins (R) and Chicago Public School Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman (L) attend the Kanye West Foundation's 3rd annual Stay in School event at the Farragut Career Academy on June 8, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Kanye West Foundation's 3rd Annual Stay In School Event Farragut Career Academy Chicago, IL United States June 8, 2010 Photo by Paul Warner/WireImage.com To license this image (60680846), contact WireImage.com

Kanye West Snapshots

Musician Lupe Fiasco and musician/actor Common attend the luncheon on behalf of the Kanye West Foundation at Buca di Beppo Chicago on June 8, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. Kanye West Common & Lupa Fiasco Luncheon on Behalf of Kanye West Foundation Buca di Beppo Chicago Chicago, IL United States June 8, 2010 Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage.com To license this image (60681258), contact WireImage.com

Kanye West Snapshots

CHICAGO - JUNE 08: Kanye West (L) and Common perform at the Kanye West Foundation's 3rd annual Stay in School event at the Farragut Career Academy on June 8, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kanye West;Common

Kanye West Snapshots

CHICAGO - JUNE 08: Common performs at the Kanye West Foundation's 3rd annual Stay in School event at the Farragut Career Academy on June 8, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Common

Kanye West Snapshots

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2005 file photo, rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight is taken away by paramedics after he was shot in the leg at the Shore Club in Miami Beach, Fla. Knight, was shot once in the upper right leg by an unknown assailant at the star-studded party hosted by Grammy-wining hip hop artist Kanye West. More than four years later, Knight is claiming in a lawsuit that West and the Shore Club's owners failed to provide adequate security. Knight is seeking more than $1 million, including a 15-carat diamond earring he lost in the chaos. (AP Photo/Kim Tumey, File) NO SALES

Kanye West Snapshots

Singers Kanye West, Tony Bennett, Jennifer Hudson, Al Jardine, Jamie Foxx, Carlos Santana and others perform "We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti" pose for a group picture following the recording session held at Jim Henson Studios on February 1, 2010 in Hollywood, California. "We Are The World 25 Years For Haiti" Recording Session Jim Henson Studios Hollywood, CA United States February 2, 2010 Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com To license this image (59480499), contact WireImage.com

Kanye West Snapshots

Singers A.R. Rahman, Gladys Knight, will.i.am, Toni Braxton, Brian Wilson, Kanye West and others perform at the "We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti" recording session held at Jim Henson Studios on February 1, 2010 in Hollywood, California. "We Are The World 25 Years For Haiti" Recording Session Jim Henson Studios Hollywood, CA United States February 2, 2010 Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com To license this image (59480685), contact WireImage.com

Kanye West Snapshots

Singers Wyclef Jean, Kanye West and Jennifer Hudson perform at the "We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti" recording session held at Jim Henson Studios on February 1, 2010 in Hollywood, California. "We Are The World 25 Years For Haiti" Recording Session Jim Henson Studios Hollywood, CA United States February 2, 2010 Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com To license this image (59480534), contact WireImage.com

Kanye West Snapshots

Singers Natalie Cole, Kanye West and Jennifer Hudson perform "We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti" pose for a group picture following the recording session held at Jim Henson Studios on February 1, 2010 in Hollywood, California. "We Are The World 25 Years For Haiti" Recording Session Jim Henson Studios Hollywood, CA United States February 2, 2010 Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com To license this image (59480776), contact WireImage.com

Kanye West Snapshots

Tags: BET Awards, Kanye West

Comments

(210)

Wednesday 30 June

By king ken

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

I just think that Taylor Swifts security team should have thrown that monkey to the ground and beat the sh** out of him (off camera). Its the only way monkeys like him will learn.

By michelle

Kanye is a legend in his own mind. His "fans" seem to be attracted to his rudeness and arogance and confuse good acting with real talent. Kanye is "playing" his audience with gangster postering and intimidating body lanquage. His style appeals to angry self-righteous people like himself. And Kanye fans will defend this man no matter WHAT he does. If the guy (heaven forbid) ever murders someone his fans will be quick to show us how he can't be held responsible and how we all just need to forgive and move on. I swear some of his fans have elevated him to an earth-god. Open your eyes. He's a thug.

By Allen

He gave me a new name for trash = Kanye West

By Jake

He's an idiot, like so many of the " Musicians" today with that garbage they try & pull off as entertainment. It's obvious there is no talent there, or they'd be singing. I really don't know why we bother to write about this junk. He's horrible and so are the other rappers. There is just no talent to that, anyone can do it. It's like nursery songs with a bad attitude. It's why so many of them get shot, no one can stand it any longer.

By fapp9

Vote down Vote up Report this

Kanye is a musical genius. Good luck to him!

By Balt.Raven

He's a no-talent D-bag. Got some gigantic lips, though.

By fkurtin

BY THE WAY,, RAP IS NOT EVEN MUSIC, PUT IT BACK IN PRISON WHERE IT CAME FROM AND BELONGS

By Jason

yeah....rap came from prison thats the most intelligent and true remark I've heard since Bill said "I did not tell a lie." GO for it Fkurtin I bet 2 plus 2 is 7 also...right???

TRASH DESERVES TRASH TREATMENT

Kanye should go away for interrupting Taylor Swift, he stole her moment to shine................who cares. Taylor Swift still shined throughout the year and Kanye quietly fell into the backdrop just like he should have to give people a chance to heal from his inconceivable actions (sarcasm) obviously hes had a hard year with the lost of his mother and long time girlfriend I'm sure alcohol would have been his next best friend especially when you mix it with "fame." Of course people will make a lot of ignorant racist remarks hypocritically calling him racist at the same time its America at the end of the day we are all a bunch of self-serving, individualistic, spoiled, overweight, unsympathetic, judgmental a holes, myself included. Kanye makes music I have no interest in his personal life or this queen gay gossip about a mic and a white girl (no racial or sexual discrimination intended for the sensitive.) If his album is good I buy it I give him his credit where credit is due and then...I go to work and pay my light bill so for all the people that have something to say ..................go to work and pay your light bill I think that is way more important then giving your minuscule non relevant remark about anybody...douches

By bevery

I think he did it to the wrong little white girl why could n it have been pink then we would have seen a show but i dont think he would have stood up to her she is not weak but no it was a child how big a man is that

By mrdata98

They're all a bunch of pigs. And the American public is always so ready to forgive them for child molesting, domestic violence, drugs, etc. What does that say for the American public?

By Bill

Let's put all the racist crap to rest. Just call an A-Hole an A-Hole. I haven't seen any rergret or apology from Kanya.

By craig

that arrogant, ignorant, N I G G E R has no talent!

By Jessica

How are ignorant statements like this allowed to be on this website?

By del cring

Kanye West: It's way too early for you to take on the sunlight again. The intense heat will burn a hole right through your skull...it's quite intense and painful. Go back to sleep in your miserable corner....we'll wake you later...much later!

By dave

West is but one thing... and it starts with an "N".....

By William

What is BET?

By captnbaja

What's that hanging around his neck? Looks like a gold plated chicken.

By Chris

I find it interesting that this reporter has not done any reporting at all but just express his opinion. Anyone who saw that on tv can see it was fake as hell and it was just a publicity stunt to get his career "on track". I hope Kanye gets dissed on tv and goes through the same thing he put Taylor Swift through. Another desperate act by a celebrity.

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