Rapper Kanye West’s grief made worse by shame, outrage and betrayal…

I’m not a fan of his hip-hop music and think even less of his wannabe gansta persona. But I feel genuine sympathy for Kanye West as he grieves over the sudden and incomprehensible death of his beloved mother on Saturday night. She was only 58.

Of course, like most people, I knew virtually nothing about Dr Donda West before she died. But what I’ve read over the past 48 hours about her life and relationship with Kanye only makes her death seem more untimely and tragic.

I was particularly impressed by the fact that, unlike so many parents of celebrities, Dr West was remarkably accomplished in her own right. Most notably, she was an educator for over 30 years until she retired as chairman of the English department at Chicago State University to manage Kanye’s career.

But, as a proud Mama’s boy who lost his own Mummy not so long ago, I can well imagine the shame that would have polluted my grief if she had died a day after “undergoing cosmetic surgery for a tummy tuck and breast reduction”. (Never mind the fact that I would have insisted that she lose weight the old fashioned way instead of taking this vain short cut…no pun intended.)

I have no doubt, however, that this shame would have paled in comparison to the outrage I would have felt upon learning that the doctor who performed the surgery is little more than a fame-seeking quack. Because that appears to be the well-documented reputation of the man who operated on Kanye’s Mom, Dr Jan Adams.

In fact, it seems Dr Adams is more known for playing a black “Dr McDreamy” on TV talk shows and hanging out at Hollywood night spots than for his surgical skills. Moreover, he’s been sued for malpractice and arrested for DUI so many times that California authorities were in the process of revoking his medical license.

Not to mention the restraining order an ex-girlfriend obtained against him in 2002 based on her allegation that:

[Dr Adams] has an unfortunate drinking problem and unless restrained immediately, will assert the worst side of his ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ personality….

Yet nothing compares to the betrayal of holding himself out as a board certified plastic surgeon when, in fact, he is not! And this deception alone is sufficient for Kanye to sue the medical scrubs off his ass once and for all – to ensure that he doesn’t injure, or kill, any other unsuspecting patients.

Then, of course, there’s the undeniable sense of shame, outrage and betrayal that every black person in America must feel at having this celebrated, Harvard-educated black doctor turn out to be such an incompetent, irresponsible and fraudulent drunk.

Meanwhile, reports are that Kanye intends to resume his European tour on Monday – after attending his mother’s funeral on Saturday. But, if true, I’m not sure whether this makes him an emotionally-evolved, or an emotionally-retarded, person.

NOTE: It seems not only trite but also inappropriate to harp on the extraordinary lengths people go to nowadays to indulge their vanity. Talk about the assumption of well-known risks….

Kanye West, Donda West