Kanye West's Musical Genius: How His Bipolar Disorder Influences His Art

Kanye West is by many people considered as the most influential artist of our generation. Even though many of his actions and statements were ‘over the line’, people love Yeezy.

Bipolar

Kanye has to deal with a bipolar disorder, which leads to extreme mood swings on a single day. In a negative mood, the person with the disorder has to deal with an inner critic that keeps messing with his head, making him say things in public that he himself does not even support: False beliefs and perceptions, also called. Jumping from one idea to another and a dramatic shift in the ability to think clearly is a consequence of this.

Maybe this caused Kanye to do some strange actions like his antisemitism statements in interviews and his interruption of Tayler Swift when she received the VMA reward back in 2009. After every of these ‘incidents’, when he was in a normal mood again the next day thinking about the things he said, he probably regretted saying all those things.

''That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
That's why I fuck with Ye!
See, that's my third per—
That's my bipolar shit, n*gga, what?
That's my superpower, n*gga, ain't no disability
I'm a superhero! I'm a superhero!''

~ Kanye West on ''Yikes''

An artist of all trades

Even though all his mental health issues and the controversy around his statements make him seem crazy sometimes, Kanye knows like almost no other artist how to make a good song. Rapping some serious bars on ‘’Off the Grid’’, singing the right notes on ‘’Runaway’’ and even producing a hit beat for Lil Nas X with ‘’Industry Baby’’, Kanye can do it all.

Influencing the industry

Kanye really did influence the Hip-Hop industry with his songs. By using soul samples while producing songs for Jay-Z’s album ‘’Blueprint’’, Kanye caused a revival of using samples as the basis of the production in a time where using a keyboard was a more popular production style. Hip-hop in the early 2000s had a lyrical style that’s almost similar to the ‘’mumble rap’’ we are stuck with nowadays. Glorifying alcohol and drugs and portraying yourself as a tough guy in your songs was almost all that you heard in the rap scene back then.

Again, Ye changed this movement, this time by putting himself next to his listeners. He tried to change the ‘’gangster rap’’ lyrics to lyrics with a deeper meaning, in which the artist presents himself in a vulnerable way. In the song ‘’Jesus Walks’’, Kanye talks about the inner struggle that everyone faces by choosing between good and evil. Even though Kanye did not always made the right decisions regarding this choice, he knows that Jesus will always be with him, helping him with finding the right path in life. He knows that God is gracious and that he will forgive Kanye for his sins.

''God show me the way because the Devil's tryna break me down
The only thing that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now
And I don't think there's nothin' I can do now to right my wrongs
I wanna talk to God but I'm afraid 'cause we ain't spoke in so long''

~ Kanye West on ''Jesus Walks''

It all started 13 years ago, in 2010, when Kanye removed Drake's verse on his song ''All of the lights''. After a couple of disses back and forth, rumors of Drake dating Kanye's wife, and some angry tweets coming from both sides, the two are finally friends again. In 2021, they attended the ''FreeLarryHoover'' concert together, confirming to the thousands of fans in the crowd that their beef was officially over. We love seeing Drizzy and Ye smiling together.

Genius

Kanye is a genius. The problem is that he’s well aware of that. This, combined with the fact that his bipolar disorder can lead to an outsize sense of self-confidence probably explains why Kanye was running for president back in 2020.

His disorder gave him an exaggerated self-esteem that didn’t work in his favor at the time, while his actions caused a lot of negative media attention. Maybe his disorder did work in his favor when he made classic albums like ‘’Graduation’’ and ‘’My Beautiful dwark twisted fantasy’’. We are not sure if he made many of his classics while being in such a manic mood, or how Kanye himself would word that: ‘’I guess we’ll never know.’’

Kanye West having a drink with his partners in crime A$ap Rocky and Tyler, the creator. These three have linked up many times together, not only music-wise. We can see a tight friendship on this picture.

No rest

Kanye works like 24/7 on his music, which can lead to consequences not in his favor like a lack of sleep and a lack of mental rest. All kinds of tragic events like the passing of his mother ‘’Donda’’ and the divorce with his wife Kim Kardashian are probably the most important factors that have led to the restlessness of Kanye.

A few words for Kanye

Working hard and not letting yourself getting distracted by the stimuli of the outside world helps with zoning in to the flow state. But, making your brain overheat by surrendering yourself to the impulses of all the brilliant ideas in your head, as Kanye and many other hard-working people do is not favorable for your brain. This actually decreases your chances on getting into the flow state, while too much stress messes with your brain. We all want the best for him, so here are some words for you Kanye that may encourage you:

Adidas and Balenciaga reacted to your statements like every sheep in the flock does when something dangerous attacks them: They stick by with the flock in order to protect themselves, or in this case, to show the world how based their moralities are. We, as FlowStateAttire know better. We know that your words do not always align with your intentions. We know that the real Kanye is the Kanye on ‘’Jesus walks’’ and all the other songs where you preached about religion, mental health and relationships. A Bipolar disorder is, just like many other mental disorders, something that’s part of your brain, not part of you. When you act impulsive and say misplaced things on the internet, we know it’s the disorder, not you. Let all those lost partnerships go and focus on your fans, by zoning in to the flow state and giving them the songs and shows they expect from an entertainer and a genius like Kanye West.

A short Kanye West documentary, with footage of Kanye recording his recent album ''Donda.'' It was clear from this video that Kanye put his heart and soul into the album. He even slept in the Mercedes-Benz stadium, while hosting listening parties for the album here, paying $1 million a day. We can also see a grateful Kanye here, thanking the Lord for blessing him and his loved ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaQHa-CPuwg