A visual map of the relationship between fine art and street culture. By Nikkolos Mohammed / Art
Cages & Cubes: KANYE WEST IS MR. ROGERS
This artistic process is similar to the visual language of celebrated
For more than 30 years on American television, every Mister
creative, Virgil Abloh. His visual language uses common typefaces
Rogers’ Neighborhood show ended with a variation of this message.
“You are special and unique and you do not need to change who you are to be appreciated.”
to develop a new language, which is translated via “text language.”
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a documentary that does not defy the
This has allowed people to discover hybrid metaphors between
mystery man, Mr. Rogers, off-camera, but instead focuses more on
common objects and experiences we deal with on a daily basis. For
the simplicity of his message and the impact it continues to have for generations.
example, printing the word, “SCULPTURE” on a purse challenges
It is interesting to rediscover Mr. Rogers’ artistic process of
creates a relationship with art and the idea of an everyday object
the definition of sculpture in the viewer’s mind and therefore such as a purse. This new language of written text messages on
developing a simplistic 30-minute television show targeted towards
objects reminds us of our innate instinct to use quotation marks
children ages 2-5 (but labeled as “all ages” by PBS) to discuss
when unsure about something or when we want to expand the
complex and worldly issues. The personal relationship Mr. Rogers
definition of a noun. In comparison, Mr. Rogers uses the tactic
had to his program would impact the parents of children, as well
of reduction when explaining complex topics, in order to create
as other artists building careers based on the simple notion of learning and growing.
a more comforting narrative that is more digestible to others.
Cleverly, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood takes place in the idea of
“competition” similar to the way that Virgil Abloh questions
While doing so, he slightly questions topics such as “war’” and everyday objects.
a home, as well as the fantastical world of the “Neighborhood of Make Believe,” which gives viewers a feeling of comfort and safety — a world open to receiving information and new ideas about the complexities of real life issues. In this manner, he makes it clear that there is no distinction between all of us as human beings, and reminds us to take pride in each of our individual uniquenesses.
- Frank Rogers
Kanye West is to the community what Mr. Rogers is to the neighborhood.
Prior to creating his own television show, Frank Rogers was practicing to become an ordained minister when he realized his calling was to make a larger impact by using television as a tool. It is obvious that his values and attention to morality are portrayed in his television show for the greater good. If Kanye West has a relationship to Mr. Rogers, what does that make Kanye?
The Ye album suddenly shifted to questioning popular media’s validation of Kanye’s impact due to his political views. Like many times in his career, we questioned his ability to control the understanding of expectation by his fans and realize that the genius in him knows there is always a greater goal in mind. Leading up to
In the hip-hop music industry, we identify the infamous music
the release of Ye, he made it known that he had conversations with
producer and former Co-President of Columbia Records, Rick Rubin,
the President of the United States and even spoke on a popular
as a spiritual figure that preaches about the lesson of “reduction.”
tabloid news outlet to state his opinions. West used Donald Trump
By reducing elements of the musical process and diminishing the
to shift expectation, especially since he is a symbol representing
superfluous, the listener is able to be transported into a more
the polar opposite of what we expect the “old Kanye” to have a
expanded environment and better understand the true essence of
relationship with. From failed expectation to an uncomfortable
the craft.
feeling of rage and fear, people questioned their own selves since it is in our primary instinct to give more energy to fear than hope.
A true master of this approach in the fine art world is David Hammons. Although he is not known specifically for creating a
When the world finally listened to Ye, we were welcomed with
style of artwork, he is notable for the way he approaches ideals. A
Kanye’s inner thoughts covering topics of mental health (Kanye
common reaction to his work is the way the viewer can create his/
having bipolar disorder), family life, and escaping old fears, which
her own space by interpreting his gestures and symbols that relate
then allowed for us to be more open and accepting. Like in Mister
to a culture. His thoughtful mark-making responds to stereotypes
Rogers’ Neighborhood, every episode starts with “Mr. Rogers
that culture itself creates. As an example, his 1993 piece, In The
Talks About…” and states a new topic, leading the viewer into the
Hood displays the portion of fabric that crowns a hooded pullover
comfort of his home and then later leads to the “Neighborhood of
sweatshirt, with its obvious function to keep one’s head warm. The
Make Believe.” Here, the viewer is both challenged and nurtured
stereotype of this article of clothing is that it can be a “mask” to
into topics that reflect the real world in order to discover something
hide identity within criminal activity. The execution of this art piece
new, which is perhaps the most invaluable gift that Mr. Rogers has
is similar to the way scary films or cartoons portray the hood of a
given us. Once the viewer finds a relationship with the subject
Grim Reaper, while the hood itself is freely floating away from the
and interprets it in his/her own way, Mr. Rogers secures them with
wall when displayed. The brilliance of this piece is not the actual
a jingle and concluding reminder to “believe in one’s unique self
piece, it is the discovery of the issues that people have dealt with,
with their special gifts.” Amazingly, Kanye once said in a 2013
without screaming it literally.
interview, “If you’re a Kanye West fan, you’re not a fan of me, you’re a fan of yourself. You will believe in yourself.”
Many times, Kanye has compared himself to the great Walt Disney. While some might think it is due to his financial sustainability — it
According to the television programming industry, Mister Rogers’
is not. Mr. West is heavily influenced by Mr. Disney’s approach to
Neighborhood was primarily thought to be a failure, yet became
targeting those who are filled with belief and imagination. Naturally,
one of the longest running television shows in history. What could
those traits are most alive and thriving within children, but Kanye
be the factors that kept the attention of the viewing public for so
West, Walt Disney, and Frank Rogers own a creative process in which
long? Perhaps it was the consistency of every show, the welcoming
they are able to ignite the belief and imagination of adults, young
feeling of acceptance into a community? Or maybe it was the idea
and old. After all, everybody was once a kid. Kanye West’s Ye album
of coming home to unwind and being open to accepting new ideals
and overall summer 2018 campaign manifests a confessional, sharing
for both children and adults?
version of Kanye. Confident in his own uniqueness, his album is a proclamation of conflict amongst universal cohesiveness. Kanye
A common teaching tool is music and song, and in Mr. Rogers’
made his Twitter comeback through short, uplifting statements —
case, he was a master at creating jingles that encouraged
curiously different than the cocky Kanye that we have grown up with.
acceptance. These jingles invited the viewer to feel even closer
Similar in level of artistry is the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood program, where Mr. Rogers does not directly come at the viewer by questioning their views on assassination, for example. He simply educates with enough information so that the viewer can realize issues with oneself and come to his own reflections on society.
to “The Neighborhood,” while communicating various topics Hype of his highly anticipated Ye album grew more and more
and emotions through clever and simple lyrics. Music’s primary
because of messages that seemed like a positive progression from
function is to discuss ideas and unify the masses, after all, “music
West. Leaked sources claimed that the sound was reminiscent of his
is the universal language.” Similarly, both Kanye West’s Ye album
debut album, The College Dropout, with soulful samples and clever
and Frank Rogers’ jingles both reflected confessions of their
lyricism that the hip-hop community has been eager for, for years.
personal lives that they chose to invite the public to witness for
You can even say that they expected not only the sound of the “old
themselves. Mr. Rogers found that imagination, puppetry, and song
Kanye” but also the image of him wearing a pink polo and Louis
were his best forms of communication from childhood to adulthood.
Vuitton backpack. To our great surprise, we were turned upside down
Both Mr. Rogers and Kanye’s extensive approaches created
when Kanye paraded his political stance and exercised his vocal
space for viewers and listeners to enter and participate in the
awareness, but it was different than what we expected.
conversation, while broadening their perspectives.
“I AM UNIQUE”seems to be the phrase of 2018 — political figures turning groups of people away based on their
physical appearance and genetic ties, musicians openly discussing topics of mental health, to millennials as a whole documenting their uniqueness in magnifying their flaws and labeling their identities on their own terms.