Oscar Donnelly

I've always known that I'm not really a fan of the Cubs/Bulls/Bears, because I don't watch them when they stink(so I don't watch many Cubs games at all). I am a Manchester United fan, but, wow, is this awful. Spending 90 minutes listening to commentators struggle to put their finger on why, exactly, we're shit. Watching clubs that haven't won at Old Trafford in 41 years replace midfielders with attackers when they are already in the lead. Observing the exodus of fans pouring out of the stadium with 10 minutes remaining. Being subjected to the close-up shots of despondent children, looking absolutely crestfallen as they watch their team flounder. There's almost nothing enjoyable about watching this team. People always say that soccer is boring and nothing happens. I never knew what they were talking about, but I get it this year. What used to be one of my favorite parts of the week is now 90 minutes of anxiety, frustration and a mild despair. It's a ridiculous exercise, investing a part of your emotional well-being in a group of strangers kicking a ball around, but there's no getting out of this now. I'm stuck with this lot for better or worse. That's how I know I'm a fan and, boy, can that be an awful thing.

"Invictus" by William Ernest Henley, Nelson Mandela's favorite poem and a source of great strength for him. 

A live version of one of my favorite songs, paired with the most touching video imaginable. 

This is simple and cool. Atlantic called people all over the country and asked them to say words that have regional pronunciations. 10 different dialects are spoken in America!

I would kill to have spring back. 

I seriously worry about Kanye. I don't think he's well. A human being can not be this angry for long. He gives interviews without needing questions and refuses to relinquish control of the conversation for even a moment. He says things that are false as though they are undeniably true. He has pretty much said that any obstacle to him doing exactly what he wants, exactly when he wants to is impinging on his freedom. That's life, bro. No one has the level of freedom Kanye wants. He is the definition of megalomania. It's a sickness. Even if it isn't a sickness, it's rough listening to him complain about how his freedom is impaired because he isn't a billionaire. 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. Think about other people before you talk and have some sense of your real place in the real world, not your place among the 1%. This shows a real lack of perspective about humanity as a whole and his place in it. That's textbook narcissism. Narcissism in unchecked amounts, to be sure, is extremely unhealthy psychologically. He goes on rants saying that people are enslaved by the Nike sign. Some people, not all. And if it isn't true for everyone it isn't a truth, it's an interpretation. Furthermore, claiming that people are enslaved by the Nike sign, then making the Yeezy? The logic there is inexplicable. He has enslaved himself with his own belief system. Now he is lashing out publicly because he believes that other people are the gatekeepers to freedom when the only gatekeeper is himself. He is responsible for his own happiness and sense of purpose, not other people. I've been riding with him since College Dropout. I bought the blue and yellow t with the bear on the front. I buy his albums the day they drop and I listen to songs that he produces regardless of who the vocalist is. He is unequivocally a profoudly talented person. He is so motivated that he will continue to produce on a high level, but it might be coming at a great cost to himself spiritually and emotionally. I don't think that anyone can argue that he has become a better person. He has accomplished more, but he has coarsened. Fame is not good for him. He feels constantly attacked from all angles. He looks scared to smile. He barely ever makes eye contact with the people who talk to him. I can't even imagine what it would be like to occupy his mind. It must be deafening in there. It almost seems like his ego has consumed him. I don't know. I just wonder if this will end well or if we are watching an unraveling and no one knows how to step in. Zane Lowe, Breakfast Club, Sway...every interview has been a rant. He even interjects rants into his shows now. He can't stop complaining. He's that mad. If you saw someone this angry at a bar you would probably move away from them and he's doing this in front of millions of people almost daily. I just worry. It'll be sad as hell if he falls down. I've seen too many of my idols fall from grace. We see the signs of sickness with them, but few are the people who can stop a person from self-destructing. It takes great courage to tell someone that they are wrong and that their beliefs are unhealthy and damaging to themselves. This same fuel that creates genius is also the fuel that burns out if left unchecked. We're seeing Kanye at his brightest burn, but it can not be sustained. He wants to be a God and that is impossible. How can this end well?

Kanye West gives the best interviews in pop culture.  A prime example of the ego's ability to create greatness and suffering simultaneously. 

--Paraphrasing Kanye West

Kanye West gives the best interviews in the world right now.  The range of emotions he exhibits and you feel are unparalleled.  I've never felt such polarized emotions about a pop culture icon.  He's so distinctly unlikable, yet I find myself sympathizing with all the levels of his suffering, as they seem to be largely self-created.  He's a great modern example of the egos power to create greatness and suffering simultaneously. 

 – Jack Gilbert

OG MC's MC'ing.  Real rap music.