Kanye's runaway hit video

When I say Kanye you say…actor?

Probably not, but rapper/producer Kanye West recently released Runaway, a short-film/music video filled with imagery and symbolism to promote his upcoming album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

                                                   Courtesy of Island Def Jam

            The movie was filmed in Prague over the course of four days in the summer. West describes it as a parallel of his own career, and when you look at the short film deeper than what’s on the surface, West’s vulnerability shows.

            The short begins with Kanye running towards a giant explosion, which reveals a half woman-half Phoenix laying in the aftermath of the explosion. This represents something better being born out of Kanye West. Through his recent struggles in his personal life and through the media, the Phoenix is a representation of Kanye himself.   

            The Phoenix wakes up in Kanye’s room with the news playing the background. Kanye shows up behind her turning off the TV and declaring, “First rule in this world baby, don’t pay attention to anything you see in the news.”

            Kanye goes on to teach the Phoenix proper etiquette, such as walking on two feet and eating with a knife and fork, symbolizing his own struggles to fit in with society.

            He then takes her to a dinner party which looks like the Last Supper, with all the people dressed in white showing their purity. Once they sit, a guest asks them whether Kanye realizes his girlfriend is a bird.

This shows the industries disapproval of Kane West. Following the man’s comment, Kanye gets up to begin playing a song on the piano. Many ballerinas come out of nowhere and start gracefully moving to Kanye singing and playing the piano. Despite the “industries” disapproval, society seems to accept his uniqueness, for now.

As quickly as they appeared, the dancers freeze in motion then leave Kanye standing by himself. A representation of not only how quickly the media, but also how anyone can vanish as quickly as they came around, and how you should only depend on yourself at the end of the day.

Despite Kanye’s persistence to assimilate his Phoenix girlfriend in society the dinner takes an extreme turn. For dinner they place a turkey right in front of the Phoenix, she violently screams and leaves, which defines Kanye’s opinion on his own career.

Kanye may not have brought an Oscar worthy acting performance, but the genius was there, behind the surface masked by vibrant colors and music. The incorporation of light and dark, the imagery of fire and the drastic color contrast make Runaway not only a must see, but a short film/music video that will take its place amongst the greatest in music history.

-Cyrus Mehrfar