The lyrics of the rapper's 'Yeezus' track, 'On Sight', get worldwide attention from Parkinson's disease groups.
- Jun 20, 2013
AceShowbiz - Controversy continues to hound Kanye West's album "Yeezus", down from its pre-debut days of "blasphemous" album title and cover artworks and building projections being shut down by police, up to it's post-release, expectedly over its tracks and their lyrics. One of those tracks is "On Sight" which has gotten Parkinson's disease groups from both inside and outside the United States reacting to West's lyrics.
"Soon as I pull up and park the Benz, we get this bitch shaking like Parkinson's," is the line that has the American Parkinson Disease Association speaking out, "We find these lyrics distasteful and the product of obvious ignorance." The British non-profit group Parkinson's U.K. has also slammed West, saying he has "shown an inexcusable level of stupidity and cruelty towards people living with an incurable condition."
Even New Zealand has joined in the chorus of disapproval, with Parkinson's New Zealand expressing alarm over West's lyrics. "While raising awareness of Parkinson's and its symptoms is usually a positive thing, we are concerned by the lack of empathy shown in these lyrics," the organization stated.
Involuntary shaking, caused by the loss of dopamine in the brain, is one of the main symptoms of Parkinson's disease, a neurological condition affecting 1.5 million Americans, about 127,000 people in the U.K and another 100,000 more in New Zealand, making it the most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world. Among the global celebrities suffering from the disease include actor Michael J. Fox and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali.
