Kanye West on SNL -- an Artistic Genius Whether You like Him or Not?

Kanye West on SNL gave what is arguably the two most unique music performances in the history of Saturday Night Live. The 33-year-old hip hop artist is in recovery from interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

The performances that Kanye West on SNL presented were the type never seen before

When it comes to hip hop, Kanye West's performances are often original. However, the recent performances by Kanye West on SNL topped them all. Dressed in all red with long gold chains, West sang his new songs Power and Runaway on an all white stage with white backlit. For Power, he wore a gold version of the Greek crown of leaves. Hanging from above was a huge gold chandelier. Dancing around him were ballerinas dressed in white leotards. During Runaway, the ballerinas wore white leotards with white tutus. West chose various races of ballerinas, some with dark skin, some with beige skin, some with white skin, that provided a beautiful contrast to the all white background. The entire effect was arresting, highly unique and commanded attention, especially during Runaway, when the ballerinas danced off the stage leaving West alone, just a man in a red suit with an all white background.

Do we acknowledge that Kanye West is gifted artistically, or do we ignore it and stay focused on his diva moment with Taylor Swift?

Everybody remembers, or has at least heard about, when Kanye West hurried on stage, when singer Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, and interrupted Taylor's acceptance speech to say that singer Beyonce was more deserving. It was a moment that brought West huge amounts of jeers, even from the president, and sent West into hiding. But West has apologized for the incident. "I needed that. I have to have humility. I had truth and confidence, but I had to add humility and empathy. I added those after I got beat up."

If you are one of the people who was appalled at Kanye West's behavior, but at the same time you appreciate unique and groundbreaking artistic performances, such as what Kanye West on SNL accomplished, do you stay mad at Kanye West or do you let it go?. Only the most stubborn will deny that Kanye West is talented. Of Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Albums of the Decade, all four of Kanye West's earlier albums are on the list, including 808s & Heartbreak, Graduation, Late Registration and The College Dropout.

Chances are Kanye West will always have a huge ego, and if he wants to avoid what happened to him in the past he needs to check his ego at the door. But if we want to continue to enjoy what Kanye West has to offer, despite his ego, perhaps we should put the Taylor Swift thing in the past and let the man get back to work?

Sources:

Kanye West on SNL - Saturday, October 2, 2010

Jolie du Pre, Kanye West at the MTV Awards Turns the Page on the Taylor Chapter, Associated Content