They say that good things come to those who wait, but that statement doesn’t apply to rapper Kanye West. It was in his best interest to immediately
offer a public apology for his stunt at the VMAs. The multiplatinum-selling
artist received that chance Monday night during the premiere of “The Jay Leno Show.”
Already set to perform with Rihanna and Jay-Z on the show,
West requested a chance to share his thoughts before their performance. As soon
as he sat down with Leno, he immediately expressed contrition.
“It’s been extremely
difficult, just dealing with the fact that I hurt someone or took anything away
from a talented artist … or from anyone. I’ve only wanted to help people my
entire life. I’ve only wanted to give and do something that I felt was right
and I immediately knew in this situation that I was wrong and it wasn’t a
spectacle … it was actually someone’s emotions that I stepped on. It was very
rude, period, and I would like to be able to apologize to her in person.”
Throughout the interview, West struggled for the right words,
with the high point coming when Leno asked what his mother would have said to him.
After a deep sigh, and an uncomfortable 10 seconds of silence, Leno gently
nudged West for an answer. “Would she be disappointed?” he asked. “Would she
give you a lecture?”
Searching for an answer, and seemingly on the verge of
tears, West finally offered:
“… You know
obviously. I deal with hurt. And you know — so many celebrities never take time
off. I never took time off. Music after music. Tour after tour … I caused
someone else’s hurt… I don’t try to justify it ’cause I was in the wrong. I need
to take some time off and analyze about how I’m going to make it through life.”
For his sake, let’s hope he’s serious about taking some time
off. It’s always concerned me that he never took the proper time to grieve the
loss of his mother — a woman who seemed to add balance and stability to an overly
passionate personality. Now more than ever, this incident appears to be a cry
for help from a lost man. I hope he finds what he’s currently
missing. –dewayne rogers
