Kanye West’s SNL meltdown has people concerned for his well-being

Kanye West has landed himself in the headlines once again, but this time he’s being addressed with more compassion.

In a leaked rant taped backstage at SNLmoments before West’s live performance, he can be heard addressing everything from Taylor Swift’s “fake ass” to his own fame. West calls himself “50 percent more influential than any other human being,” including Stanley Kubrick, Pablo Picasso and St. Paul the Apostle.

Although Page Six originally reported the outburst as directed toward SNL staff, Access Hollywood corrects that the recording comes West “venting his frustration with set changes” during a “private moment with his team.” Whatever the target of his frustration, it was a moment of realization for critics and fans alike that the tweet-storming West isn’t just a performance he puts on to make headlines.

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West’s tirade certainly seemed like a sign of someone who needs a mental health day. In an article called “Kanye West Doesn’t Need Another Think Piece; He Needs Therapy,”The Root‘s Danielle Belton picks up on West’s lyrical nods to Lexapro and Xanax on his new album. “It’s about being deeply talented but profoundly insecure,” she writes. “His screaming about awards and his lamenting over being outside a lily-white ‘in’ crowd that he’s never getting into are evidence that he wants the kind of white acceptance no one can or will ever give him, no matter how many times he lets them rap along to his songs using the n-word.”

More: Kanye West issues a semi-apology for his controversial Twitter rants

Fans are beginning to reach out with concern, with kinder messages than I’d imagine West is used to receiving on Twitter. In response to West’s advice to be humble, one fan wrote, “then take your own advice and you’ll be fine. Drop the games and just get real with the real world. Practice Gratitude.”

https://twitter.com/KnappLee/status/700044944883322880

@kanyewest well, maybe you're learning something from all this. Now if only you would use your influence for the +.

— Tracy Lawrence (@tracy_lawrence) February 18, 2016

West himself seems to understand that his emotional issues have gotten away from him. “My number one enemy has been my ego… there is only one throne and that’s God’s …” he tweeted.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/700033728945389568
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