April 29 — Rapper-producer Kanye West has never really been a public darling; widely thought of as a narcissistic, self-absorbed jerk with an overinflated ego.
He became public enemy number one in the US after his stunt in 2009, interrupting country-pop singer Taylor Swift’s 2008 MTV Music Video Award acceptance speech to proclaim his preference for R&B star Beyoncé.
At best, he is thought of as a musical genius who keeps reinventing his music, and at the same, reinventing hip-hop.
His 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, released while in “exile” after the 2009 fallout, was widely received as one of the best albums of all time, and ultimately his penance.
And yet, many cannot accept it when West turned from that rapper who criticised then president George W. Bush for “not caring about black people” in 2005, to the one who openly declared support for current president Donald J. Trump.
“You don’t have to agree with Trump but the mob can’t make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone.
“I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought,” West tweeted on Thursday.
His declared support for Trump seems to come from the perception that he is not a sheep, and he would not be pressured into hating Trump just because everyone does.
For West, his free mind and thought shall not be chained — and people need to show love to Trump supporters instead of hate.
And yet, he boasted of getting his own red “Make America Great Again” cap — signed by Trump himself, no less.
West has since been chastised by his other musician friends for associating himself with Trump, for aligning himself and inevitably endorsing Trump’s policies and attitudes -- from his racism to sexism, and overall buffoonery.
It is at this point that the debate of whether an artist should be separated from his art starts. And it is a question that I keep struggling with and have yet to find peace with.
This haunts me — from being a massive fan of Kanye’s catalogue, especially loving his widely-panned experimental 808s & Heartbreak in 2008; to nu-metal band Lostprophets whose vocalist Ian Watkins was sentenced to 29 years’ jail for sexual offences against children; to the K-pop industry widely known for its oppressive and sexually-manipulative attitude.
But the worry here is evident, considering how much influence celebrities have on the common public — even influencing their thoughts, and normalising certain behaviours.
Moving closer to Malaysia, model and actress turned host and Shariah-compliant entrepreneur Neelofa was again caught up in controversy over another product she endorsed: this time a supplement that allegedly can increase a user’s height.
Even Neelofa herself seemed to not be totally convinced. “Of course for faster results, you guys have to exercise too!,” said her Instagram post promoting it, adding that one has to do simple stretching for it to be effective.
Naturally, this was roundly criticised by doctors and health experts. Especially when science shows that at a certain age, humans just stop growing. No matter what you eat, and even when Neelofa says otherwise.
Just in February, Neelofa had endorsed a beauty supplement that promised anti-ageing qualities and to remove wrinkles... for infants. Yes, let that sink in for a while.
She apologised over that endorsement, but not for the latest one.
On one hand, this episode shows how much capitalism influences Neelofa. No surprises there, of course. But it is worrying when Neelofa keeps making her business decisions without stopping to think of the adverse effects of the products.
But a more pressing concern would be how such products can afford to pay Neelofa to promote them. Surely her endorsement would not come cheap.
Was it some sort of last ditch effort to spend all that marketing money on her, and hope that it would pay off somehow? And what does that say about the industry?
Those travelling up and down the North-South PLUS Highway would probably also notice, how many billboards are occupied by beauty and health products -- from slimming, to whitening, to halal make-up.
It is as if, even with the rising cost of living and less-than-rosy economy, such products and companies not only manage to survive to the point of affording such advertisements... but there is a possibility that they are indeed thriving.
In an uncertain environment, it may well be that Malaysians, especially the Malays, take comfort in such escapism as beauty. If we are going to suffer, we may as well do it looking good.
While Neelofa herself has deleted the post promoting the height-increasing product, she had an unlikely defender in actress Elfira Loy.
It is uncertain what stake Elfira has in the product, but she has been tweeting positively about it ever since Neelofa was slammed — inevitably digging her grave ever deeper.
In her best endorsement, she said it had worked... for a while. Her proof? Her mother’s remarks.
When asked on Twitter how the product works, Elfira just downright failed.
“I don’t know how to explain. But it’s like if our bodies have calcium that does not expand, it helps. But if you body already have big calcium, then it surely it would not have worked,” she tweeted, cryptically.
She had later mockingly complained that the public seems to trust only doctors and only doctors have the answers when it comes to health. Well, Elfira.
She has since locked her Twitter account.
With the elections coming up, we would likely see celebrities endorsing certain candidates. It could be an attempt at gaining popularity, or just as simple as protecting their rice bowl.
But by now we should realise that their endorsements — no matter what they are promoting or praising — are empty remarks likely done for money, coloured only by our adoration and idolatry.
