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Music

Do Old People Know Who Kanye West Is?

The results of our survey found that none of them know much about his music, but a few remember him as the guy married to the lady with the big butt.

An old man reading a tabloid. Photo by Chris Goldberg

Kids these days don't know anything. "What's VHS?" they ask. "How did you Google things before the internet?" they wonder. "Who's this Paul McCartney guy?" A lot of people have their panties in a bunch about that last one after Kanye West's new auto-tuned collaboration with Sir Paul led to a bunch of people on Twitter trolling what seems like the majority of websites on the internet with tweets implying they don't know who McCartney is. But while most young people probably have heard of Paul McCartney and the gullibility of the media can be saved for another article, what about the olds? Do they know who Kanye is?

Annoncering

I walked around a popular shopping street in Los Angeles and asked gray-haired people if they know who Yeezy is and whether or not they could name any of his songs. The results? Nobody knew much about his music, but a few people remembered him as the guy married to the lady with the big butt.

Richard

Do you know who Kanye West is?
Richard: I do know the name. Should I be embarrassed if I say no?

No, not at all.
Richard: Then no.

He's a rapper.
Richard: That makes sense. I don't really listen to rap; I'm a big rock 'n' roll fan.

He just released a new song with Paul McCartney, and some people are claiming that Kayne's fans don't know who McCartney is.
Richard: That I understand. It's called a generational gap.

Jerry and Nancy (not pictured)

Do you know who Kanye West is?
Nancy: He's a singer.

Do you know any of his songs?
Nancy: No, I don't think so.

Jerry? How about you?
Jerry: I don't know any of his songs, but I know he goes out with that woman with the big butt. Kad… Kadashian?

Nancy: Kardashian.
Jerry: Yeah, Kim Kardashian.

Saul, the monk

Do you know who Kanye West is?
Saul: No. You see, I actually haven't watched movies or television or anything for 30 years, so I'm totally out of the loop.

After this exchange, Saul revealed that he is a monk and proceeded to gift me a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. Thank you, Saul.

Donna and Rod (who asked not to be photographed), with their millennial son

Do you know who Kanye West is?
Donna: No.
Rod: I do.

Can you tell us who he is?
Rod: He's married to one of the Kardashians, right? He's a musician and he jumps on the stage and interrupts awards shows.

Annoncering

That's right.
Rod: Pretty good for a 64-year-old, right?

Shirley and Hemma

Do you know who Kanye West is?
Shirley: Who?

Kanye West.
Shirley: No?

Do you?
Hemma: No. He sounds familiar, but I don't know.

He's a rapper. He just released a new song with Paul McCartney.
Hemma: Oh, Paul McCartney! Famous singer.

Joe and Lori

Do you know who Kanye West is?
Joe: No.
Lori: Well, yes. He's a singer.

Do you know any of his songs?
Lori: Well… No.

Do you know who he's married to?
Lori: One of the Kardashians, isn't he?

Yeah, that's right.
Lori: I read all those damn tabloids, that's why.
Joe: I don't know about any of this.

Kai and his dog

Do you know who Kanye West is?
Kai: Kanye?

Yeah, Kanye West. Do you know who that is?
Kai: No. Maybe you can ask my daughter?

Randy

Do you know who Kanye West is?
Randy: Yes. He's a singer.

Can you name any of his songs?
Randy: Uhhh… No. I listen to Mozart.

Do you know who he's married to?
Randy: Yeah, I do. Is it Beyoncé?

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