Kanye West Believes He Faces Discrimination, But It’s Not Why You Think

For Kanye West, discrimination is a real part of life. At least, that’s what he said during a recent two-hour live interview with SHOWStudio.

It would be easy to assume that Kanye believes he faces discrimination because he’s black, but that’s not exactly what he meant when he spoke on the topic. Instead, Kanye said he believes he’s discriminated against in the fashion industry because he’s heterosexual. From his interview with SHOWStudio:

“I feel like I got discriminated in fashion for not being gay. In music, you definitely get discriminated in music if you are gay. It takes amazing talents to break down barriers. Everyone thought that when Frank Ocean dropped that it was going to be bad for his career. I feel like it’s so cliché to speak about him as it relates to this subject, but there are people who broke the ground and he broke the ground. The people that break the stereotypes make history.”

Frank Ocean, who has worked with Kanye, John Legend, Justin Bieber, and Brandy, announced in 2012 that he was gay. Ocean’s revelation of homosexuality was so abnormal in the hip hop community that his announcement prompted a CNN article, titled “Frank Ocean effect: What happens when a hip hop artists confesses same sex love?” In that article, Lisa Respers France wrote of Ocean’s admission:

“The revelation is significant given that it is unheard of in hip hop for male performers to admit to anything other than hardcore heterosexuality and all of the bravado that comes along with many female conquests.”

Since he admitted that he’d fallen in love with a man, Frank Ocean is often looked to as a pioneer in the hip hop world. With his live interview, it sounds as if Kanye is essentially comparing himself to Ocean, calling himself a pioneer in the fashion industry because he’s not gay.

Kanye West Thinks He Is Discriminated Against For Not Being Gay: Kanye West said he faced discrimination in the… http://t.co/eeeQV2k00M

— 2LoveNotH8 (@2LoveNotH8) October 7, 2015

In September, the rapper-turned-fashion designer caught flak after he debuted his Yeezy Season 2 line during New York Fashion Week. At the time, Kanye was called “unethical” by designer Anne Bowen because he added his show to the scheduled at the last minute. As a result of Kanye’s last-minute show, Bowen had to move her show to a different day and time slot. In the process, she called out Kanye for using his media super-stardom to attract attention.

“We have been prepping for a year for this at considerable financial, labor- and commitment-cost to our company. Our show date has been scheduled for months and has been on the Fashion Calendar for weeks. We went through all the proper channels to make this a reality,” Bowen told Women’s Wear Daily in September. “And just yesterday we learned that Kanye West is having a show at the same time on the same date as ours. Kanye knows he is a media sensation and it is just not ethical to do this. It’s like we are David and he is Goliath. We have put our heart and soul into our show, and should not be stepped on like this.”

Bowen went on to say that in order for her show to receive the attention it deserves, she had to move it to a new time which cost a lot of money.

Kanye’s Yeezy Season 2 line is made up of men’s and women’s athletic wear in tan, green, brown, and black. The men’s line includes pants and sweatshirts, while the women’s line includes leggings and bathing suits. The pieces include distressed fabrics and unfinished hems.

The line, which many thought was similar to his Yeezy Season 1 line, has been compared to clothing worn by zombies on The Walking Dead. Despite the seemingly simple pieces, High Snobiety praised Kanye’s decision to create a line similar to his previous season, writing:

“If Kanye is serious about having a long-term career in fashion – which he certainly appears to be – then he’s wise to keep his cards to his chest, growing slowly and organically.”

If High Snobiety is to be taken seriously, perhaps Kanye has learned a bit from being married to fashion icon Kim Kardashian.

What do you think? Do you think Kanye West faces discrimination in the fashion industry because he’s not gay? Why or why not?

Find out more about Kanye West’s career as a fashion designer in the video below:

[Photos by Ethan Miller/Getty Images and Randy Brooke/Getty Images]