There are two things we could have guaranteed would happen even before the curtain rose at the MTV Video Music Awards: We would only be able to name a handful of this year’s tweenage ‘celebrities’ that paraded down the red carpet; and that Kanye West was likely to do something #outrageous.
Over the past few years, Yeezy – to his friends – has succeeded in making the VMAs his very own platform for rants about his current ‘beefs’. But this year, even we were surprised that he managed to top his infamous “Imma let you finish” lambasting of a teenage Taylor Swift in 2009, by announcing that he would be running for President of the USA in 2020.
Some gasped, others laughed, but we here as Esquire thought to ourselves: would it really be that bad? Here are five reasons why Kanye West would be a good candidate for the most powerful job on the planet:
1. Successful business acumen
Producer, rapper, fashion designer and keen-eyed investor, Kanye has an impressive business portfolio. Through a combustive cocktail of talent, ego and marketing nous, he has not only sold albums in the multi-millions, been included in Time’s most influential people list three times and started his own successful clothing line, but he has even collaborated with the likes of Guiseppe Zanotti, Louis Vuitton and Adidas to design shoewear.
2. Not afraid to fail
Two of the cornerstones of international politics are the ability to negotiate hard and know when to cut your losses. Much has been written about Kanye’s success the fields of music and fashion, but perhaps we can read more into his involvement with his charity foundation the Kanye West Foundation and investment in burger chain Fatburger. Both saw limited success, but again show a level of business savvy that be vital in negotiating with tricky political situations such as here in the Middle East.
3. International experience
Excluding the countless world tours and international trips that West and his entourage have been on, one of the most endearing stories from his childhood was when he moved to China at age 10. Having accepted a job as part of a University teaching exchange program, Donna West and 10-year-old Kanye moved to Nanjing, China. According to his mother Kanye was the only foreigner in his class, but settled in well and picked up the language.
4. Could he really be much worse than Donald Trump?
While people across the Gulf may look at Republican presidential hopeful, Donald Trump’s current campaign with bemusement, the fact of the matter is that the voters across America are seemingly buying what he is selling. A self-made, political outsider with big opinions and an even bigger ego… ring any bells?
5. One hell of an inauguration party
If you thought that a million people taking to the streets of Washington for President Obama’s inauguration was impressive, take a minute to imagine just how epic a Kanye West inauguration would be. The king of upstaging, would be in his element with the entire world watching the West family (Kim Kardashian et al.) take their place in the aptly named West Wing.
Watch Kanye’s announcement: