WHETHER TO SEPARATE ART FROM ARTISTS

a bigger platform to post outlandish or bad things, then maybe you shouldn’t listen to [their] music,” Srinivasan said. “If you really just want to enjoy it, just take it for what it is and look at it at a very surface level, which I think is what the majority of people do.”

While Srinivasan can get the most out of listening to someone without having to like or respect them, other students feel that an artist’s art is intertwined with their identity, and in this case, Kanye’s antisemitic remarks are inseparable from his musical self.

“Especially in music, I feel like your opinions and your life experiences are re flected a lot in your work more so than in other forms of art,” senior Dalia Antebi said. “Art is inextricable from the artist, but listening to music or appreciating art for what it is isn’t necessarily condoning the artist’s actions.”

Antebi, who is culturally Jewish, ad mits that Ye’s words have altered her per ception of him as an artist and his music, but she isn’t necessarily against others who listen to him.

“I’m going to have a problem with people who are more likely to have an aligned view with the things that he [Ye] is saying and the messages that he’s personally spreading,” Antebi said. “Be cause, if you’re closer to the artist, then you can be more easily influenced by his words and his actions.”

More than meets the eye

Paly music teacher Michael Najar said there is more to Ye’s actions than being simply “good” or “bad.”

“You need to investigate and contextualize all of their work,” Najar said. “It’s not just as simple as they are bad people because they did this. It’s too easy to do that. However, because Kanye is in front of us and actively saying these things, it makes it easier in some ways health issues does not necessarily excuse Ye of his offensive remarks, Najar acknowledges the complexity behind not just his music, but also his opinions — as a musician himself, Najar wants the best for Ye.

“Let’s hope for the best,” Najar said. “If you believe in prayer, if you believe in good vibes, let’s send those things out. Let’s see if we can uncover the person that he [Ye] had promised to be and the person that he could become.” v