Kanye recently described his former self as a “ backpack n***a with luxury taste buds” in his ferocious “No More Parties in LA”, and the contrast between his indie/underground background and ‘luxury’ tastes has been a major theme throughout his work. We took a look back through the film – the genesis of Kanye’s belief that he could break out the restrictions that had been thrust upon him – and how it rings true with the man he is now. Six years since its release, the message he delivers resonates even more strongly. Runaway, the film he released to accompany the album, encompasses both of these themes, acting as both a catharsis and swansong for Yeezy’s past relationships. The album’s themes vary from his post break-up woes with his ex-partner, Amber Rose, to the perils of fame and the stress mounted on his shoulders as a result. In 2010, he dropped My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, an album more refined in sound and with a clearer artistic direction than anything he’d done before. As his popularity has grown, he’s primarily explored the superficial bubble that fame creates around individuals, with the themes of celebrity isolation and mental health referred to most prominently throughout The Life of Pablo. However, Kanye has always been one to wear his emotions and his private life on his sleeve. That was the cap on a very turbulent year that saw him release and constantly update his album The Life of Pablo, debut a new Yeezy Season show to a mixed reception, get into a public feud with friend and partner Jay Z, incur the wrath of Taylor Swift’s mass fanbase, and, most shockingly, learn his wife was robbed at armed gunpoint. After his hospitalisation for exhaustion following the cancellation of his Saint Pablo tour, one of his first public acts was to visit Donald Trump at Trump Tower. For Kanye West, the realities of fame – and the pressure and scrutiny that comes with it – came to light this year in a very public way.

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