By Brenna Eagan, news correspondent
One year after his now-infamous interruption of Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), Kanye West is back. He’s got a new look, a new attitude and an album coming out later this year.
Some who watched West’s outburst during the 2009 VMAs did not expect a VMA performance by West the following year. As many will recall, when Swift accepted her award for best female video in 2009, West joined her onstage to voice his opinion the award should have gone to Beyonce. Following this incident, West remained relatively quiet for a year until opening up a Twitter account in July, where he has apologized to Swift numerous times.
“Beyonce didn’t need that. MTV didn’t need that and Taylor and her family friends and fans definitely didn’t want or need that,” West wrote.
But as the 2010 awards show neared a close, West took the stage to perform his new song, “Runaway.” Wearing a red suit, West sang to the audience, asking them to “have a toast for the douchebags.”
West kicked off his Rosewood Movement in July, which requires anyone connected with his G.O.O.D. record label to wear suits and exhibit polite manners. Named after the civil rights movement of the same name, the Rosewood Movement was created to bring more sophistication and classy behavior to the rap and hip-hop industries.
But how sincere is West? With a new album to promote, he certainly knows he has to win back his fans before he can rise back to the level of respect and bankability he had before the VMA controversy.
“It’s like what politicians do following a scandal,” said Randy Colvin, a Northeastern psychology professor. “He’s probably hired a PR to market a new image. It’s questionable whether he himself has made a change.”
Colvin said while it is possible that such a traumatic event may have lead to West’s reinvention, it’s very difficult for a person to really change in just a year.
“I do think that people can grow up and mature, I just don’t think it happens without dedicating oneself. You can’t just wish it to happen, typically it requires a professional to make that change, and continued therapy. You really have to ask ‘What has he done, himself, to change?’”
Whatever the intention, it’s clear that West has been a buzzed-about figure all year long.
“Negative publicity is publicity,” said Leon Janikian, associate professor of music and coordinator of the music industry department at Northeastern.
Janikian compared West’s scandals to Wu-Tang Clan rapper ODB, who had legal troubles all throughout his career before eventually dying of a drug overdose, pointing out that Wu-Tang Clan’s record sales were never hurt in the process.
“Ultimately, there’s a lot of money involved,” Colvin said.
