Kanye Wants to Be Rasputin soo Bad
Office Hours with Kardashian Kolloquium
On Tuesday, Billboard reported that Kanye is taking Sunday Service to the Kremlin. He’s working with “Russia’s Trump,” billionaire real estate developer, Aras Agalarov. Russia will now be like a second home to West, who’s first home is in Wyoming, and third home is in his ex-wife’s front yard.
I’ve been curious about the grand plan behind Sunday Service for awhile. More on this in last week’s post, but the gist is that it’s a vaguely Christian choir that serves Kanye and the Kardashian’s good Christian branding, sells merch, and helps position them all as God-adjacent.
As soon as I saw this news I emailed the people’s media theory professor, MJ Corey* of @KardashianKolloquium, for her take. I told her I wanted to keep this post light, but that I was worried that this latest development had darker implications than just ethically ambiguous marketing.
“Think your inkling is probably correct,” she responded, “If he’s interested in establishing a presence in Russia, Sunday Service is a convenient mode of mobility— a way of bringing his messaging wherever he goes.”
What that messaging is isn’t quite clear yet. His relationship with Trump is significant obviously (MJ noted that he met with Jared Kushner just last week), but… I’m writing this at 1 am. The one thing I can say for certain about Kanye’s ideology is that it centers himself. Proximity to power and PR stunts are the common themes in his erratic political moves. Here, he aligns with Trump. Does this mean anything for 2024? Or am I just tired and buying into his antics?
We know Kanye has political aspirations and religion is a powerful vehicle for building a following and gaining power. I’ll repeat that L. Ron Hubbard quote (maybe every week), “If you want to get rich, start a religion.”
Rasputin, self-proclaimed prophet and spiritual guide to the Russian imperial family, got his start by touring the country too. Born to a poor family in Siberia, the Russian Orthodox monks offered him leverage and mobility that he turned towards St. Petersburg. Kanye worked his way up from the south side of Chicago with similar charm and confidence. (A lesser writer would make a Chiberia joke, but I didn’t even think to).
MJ pointed out that the Kardashian family has always relied on spiritual guides and “how sometimes it feels akin to the (mythologized) Romanov dependence on Rasputin.” I wonder if, as the family has leaned on religious themes in their media strategy and watered down their own spirituality that Kanye has taken the place of a traditional prophet. Kim has entrusted and credited him with her transition into high fashion.
While Rasputin focused his efforts on healing hemophilia, Kanye took on the equally daunting task of cleansing Kim Kardashian’s closet of chunky belts. Fashion, after music, has been his second avenue towards power and influence.
It’s easy to criticize Yeezy for it’s overpriced sweatsuits, but like with that monastery home, there’s meaning in nothingness. You can say he’s profiting by packaging and selling the image of poverty, but I’ll argue that of all high-fashion brands Yeezy’s look is easiest to replicate by dumpster diving. The brand name may not be accessible, but in its simplicity it equalizes.
We can also say that his style mimics the style of cults like Heavan’s Gate or the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who used plain, uniform clothing to strip subjects identity and make them better followers. Pre-Stalin Communist Russia also emphasized plain, unisex work clothes in place of western fashions. However you interpret it, Kanye’s sartorial appeal to the working class is significant.
Popularity among the working class is key in spreading your message if you have ambition for power. That was Rasputin’s strategy too (and Trump’s). The elite may have been suspicious of him, but his mass popularity was how he ended up with the Royal Family. It’s also what cemented his position as healer-in-residence amidst increasing disdain from fellow elites.
Rasputin allegedly prophesied that if he were to disappear it would bring an end to the royal family. The story goes that his vision came true when his assassination, executed by Russian elites, became a spark of mistrust for the upper class that some credit (partially) for the beginning of the Russian Revolution.
Kanye predicted his own downfall in “Power”— or at least his moral erosion. Here’s a quick passage:
“Reality is catching up with me
Taking my inner child, I'm fighting for custody
With these responsibilities that they entrusted me
As I look down at my diamond encrusted piece
Thinkin’ no one man should have all that power.”
When we believe someone is larger than life, that they hold preternatural powers, we can sometimes bestow those powers upon them. That’s why “no one man should have all that power.” We give singular people more influence than they can responsibly handle. Kanye’s career is a perfect illustration of how our systems promote personal success to the point of personal destruction.
“I know I said I didn’t want to get too dark with this,” I said to MJ, “but… are we living in an oligarchy?”
“Lol, yes,” she said, “we definitely are low-key living in an oligarchy.”
Anyway, enjoy the weekend.
False Idol of the Week
The old Kanye.
Friday Scripture
“Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son.” - Tristan Thompson, Joseph, et al.
Is God Watching Over?
If so, he could not be reached for comment at this time.
Rapture Countdown
North West is approaching on the 14 Friesian Horses of the apocalypse.
*Thank you to @kardashiankolloquium for providing expertise and context to organize my ramblings this week. Her latest article in Paper Magazine goes into Kanye’s relationship to the media, Balenciaga, and his muses in depth.
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