West-ern Literature: How Kanye's fans find meaning in between the lines

There's a big blue button in the text of the sidebar on the official Kanye West subreddit, nestled between the number of active users and a link to a Kanye West-themed podcast. Clicking the button will instantly take you to a corner of the internet full of rabid Kanye West devotees typing away in a lively Kanye-themed chat room. It's an eclectic bunch, for lack of a better word, but it's a tightly knit one, a barely-moderated area full of people referring to Taylor Swift as a snake (or, as they spell it there, a "snek"), and sharing random thoughts on Kanye's songs, tours, and eccentric activities. One of the first questions you’re asked upon entering the room is whether or not you like memes. I answered yes, I loved them, and we instantly started talking about Kanye's lyricism.

One of the moderators of the chat, a user named "Melon Child", in between sharing some of his favorite Kanye lyrics, mentioned that if he had the opportunity, he'd publish an analysis of "Yeezus" in its entirety, examining its themes and the content between the lines. From there, the conversation picked up, with users sharing all of their favorite lyrics, from lyrics by West himself, to lyrics of his featured artists.

It's telling that a majority of the active users in the room instantly came up with favorite lyrics without prompting, from "Look at the valedictorian, scared of the future while I hope in the DeLorean" off of “Good Morning” to "Mayonnaise-colored Benz, I push Miracle Whips" from “Last Call.” In a sea of memes, this one question was enough to initiate an instant, universal recall of immediate, rushing memories of lines in Kanye’s songs. The lyrics spoke to people in that chat room on a deep, guttural level. Something about Kanye's lyricism, whether it's his penchant for offensive punchlines, the natural humor in his bars, or his willingness to tangle with knotty social issues… There’s a kernel of universality in there, in his vulnerability, maybe, or in his stripped-down honesty. Or maybe it’s something else.

Unfortunately for "Melon Child", there's already a pretty extensive analysis of Yeezus out there, published by Grantland back in 2013. A slew of writers for the now-defunct website dove deep into the songs, and in doing so, unearthed evidence that not only is Kanye West a brilliant producer and rapper, but that his songs and albums feature themes that practically invite analysis and close reading-- from the fact that opening songs on Kanye's albums generally revolve around dreams or nightmares to the specific meaning of the emphasis of the word "am" on “I Am A God.”
A heartfelt and uplifting tumblr post recounts the story of a man who, after hearing West’s newest album, chose to forgo a coworker’s party and instead, go alone to a pop-up Kanye West store nearby. He writes about the diverse people he saw there, families, people of all races, all brought together by one tweet by Kanye telling his fans where this pop up store would be. The story ends with the poster relating this experience to his romantic life, ending the story saying that “There is no honeymoon phase, there is simply one ‘us’ phase”. The story is titled “Ultralight Beam,” after the song on “Life of Pablo.”


Yet another tumblr user wrote a very personal essay, opening up about the fact that they often, as they put it, “drown in [their own] emotions and thoughts”. That they feel alone. And though, yes, a lot of Kanye’s music revolves around dark themes of loneliness, it’s always better to be alone together. They talk about specific verses in “Flashing Lights” that make them feel like they’re not alone, about the “few words embedded deep between meaningless lyrics that overpower the rest.”

These are two stories among hundreds on the site.

Kanye's subreddit, in addition to the live chat, also features daily song discussions where fans provide their own close readings on his music. A recent discussion about “Lost in the World” off of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” revolved around Kanye's use of antithesis in talking about the subject of the song, and the deeper meanings (if they even exist) in the opposites he lists while talking about her.

These aren't isolated instances, and though many don't understand the appeal of Kanye West's music, his audience is huge and rabid. The themes Kanye injects into his music across his songs and albums invite fans to try to connect the dots and read in deeper to try to decipher a deeper argument than the one Kanye might be making on the surface. And it's all intentional. Is "I Am A God" simply Kanye being arrogant for an entire song, or does the accented "am" imply vulnerability, that Kanye needs to convince himself of the fact? Kanye certainly isn't going to give us any answers.

Similar to songs by visionaries like Kurt Cobain and John Lennon, Kanye’s songs deal with themes that draw a swarming crowd, a crowd that feels the need to be empathized with, that needs to know that somebody is making something specifically for them. Kanye is many things to many people (the words offensive, misogynist, and ego-obsessed come to mind), but perhaps above all, he is, and has always been honest.

His songs pick the scabs off of freshly healed wounds -- his own, our own, America’s own, the world’s own. It’s necessarily vulnerable, even when he’s talking about how far he has come. Digging into the meat of his songs means you’re digging into a bloody, painful mess, and maybe that’s the key. Yes, Kanye is at the top of the world, but that doesn’t mean he’s satisfied with the way it looks. It doesn’t mean he’s happy. It doesn’t mean there aren’t millions of people still telling him what he can and can’t do. Just like the rest of us.

Tumblr user "polotergeist" felt the urge to write a poem to Kanye West back in 2015. They say that after they became a Kanye fan, they heard him say “if you’re a fan of Kanye West, you’re not a fan of me. You’re a fan of yourself”. They talk about the fact that his music, music made by an admittedly flawed man, has given them the little confidence that they have.
Cobain was tormented, as was John Lennon, by their own personal demons. The demons whispered in their ears, leaving clues between the lines of their songs, clearly visible only to the people who took the time to look. Kanye West is no different. These inaudible lyrics, whether they are dark or hopeful, speak directly to those of us with demons of our own, who long to be understood by somebody similar. And that’s why the subreddit will continue to examine Kanye’s discography, to foster that connection, to respond to someone who is speaking directly to us, even when he’s talking about himself.