Life of Kanye vs Life of Pablo: 6 similarities Kanye shares with the druglord

Kanye West's similarities with infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar are uncanny

After American rapper Kanye West took to Twitter to reveal the name of his new album Life of Pablo, many have speculated which Pablo he took inspiration from. World renowned artist, Pablo Picasso perhaps? Or the world's biggest drug lord, Pablo Escobar?

An in-depth investigation of the lives of Pablo Escobar and Kanye West reveal that both complicated personalities perplex the public. Here are the similarities I found:

1. West uses Twitter, Escobar used actual birds:

West has recently started using Twitter to reveal his stream of consciousness to 19.5 million followers. Similarly, Escobar, with a significantly large network of people, also sent messages through something that tweets – messenger pigeons.

While Escobar was in his self-made jail, The Cathedral, he continued running his drug business with the help of pigeons, since the CIA had tapped all his phone calls – he raised carrier pigeons to facilitate secure communication.



2. Kanye and Pablo both wanted to become president:

In 2015, Kanye revealed on MTV that he wants to run for president of the United States in 2020.

“I would like to sit with engineers and come up with solutions and alternatives for people without opportunity that end up having to go through desperate measures, who feel like life isn’t worth living, or that other people’s lives don’t matter,” West told InCamera.

As a young man, reports Bio, Escobar told friends and family that he wanted to become president of Colombia.

In 1982, he was elected as an alternate member of Colombia’s Congress. His drug money could not stay hidden however, and two years after his election, he was forced to resign.

Escobar giving a speech during his political campaign. PHOTO: ANOTHERMAG.COM



3. Obsession with sneakers:

If you're one of Kanye's 19.5 million followers, you know that the rapper thanks shoe brand Adidas every chance he gets, for collaborating with him. Their creation is called Yeezy – low-top sneakers that are sold for up to $350.

Kanye sporting his white Yeezy's. PHOTO: NICEKICKS.COM

Kanye's No More Parties in LA track from Life of Pablo is evidence that he may have been referring to Pablo Escobar.

The lyrics, according to Fuse, go like this:

"I feel like Pablo when I'm workin on my shoes
I feel like Pablo when I see me on the news
I feel like Pablo when I'm workin on my house"

Drug lord Escobar, also happened to be a huge fan of low-top sneakers. In fact, he had about 100 pairs of white sneakers.

Bina Daigeler, lead costume designer of Narcos tells Dazed, “Normally, he was a fan of white sneakers. He had 100 pairs of white sneakers and a pair of jeans. The only pair he wore to work were white sneakers; he had a whole room full of them."



4. Both have 2 kids – a girl and a boy.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian recently welcomed baby boy, Saint West into the world, their second child, after their daughter North West.

Pablo Escobar too, had a boy and a girl – Juan Pablo and Manuela Pablo.

Kanye's love for his daughter is evident to the public – his time revolves around his career and his family. He claims that partying is now a thing of his past, and he spends his time in the studio or taking his daughter to tap class, reports DailyMail.

Saint West on the left and North West to the right PHOTO: FILE

Pablo Escobar may not have had the time to take his daughter to tap class, but he did burn $2 million to keep his daughter warm one night. According to Juan Pablo, Escobar realised that his daughter Manuela was suffering from hypothermia while they were hiding from the authorities, so he burnt stacks of money worth up to $2 million to keep her warm, reports Foundily.

Escobar with Manuel (left) and Juan (right) PHOTO: FILE

5. Humble backgrounds

West recently took to Twitter, to expose his humble background. He tweeted, "you don't understand what it means to be the great grandson of ex-slaves and make it this far."

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699374547347243008

Escobar too, had humble beginnings. He was one of seven children to a farmer and an elementary school teacher. As a teenager, he started his criminal career by stealing gravestones and sanding them down for resale.

Both West and Escobar aspired to help the poor, once they became rich. Escobar took on a Robin Hood reputation by building schools, churches and football fields for the poor communities of Colombia, while he was running for Congress.

Escobar supporting a local football team. PHOTO: CLAS.BERKELEY.EDU

West has recently been outraged by the cost of books for students in the US and tweeted with hashtag #2020 referring to his campaign for president, that books should cost less and teachers should be paid more.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699687128956018690

6. Kanye asks for money, Escobar asked for "war tax"

Kanye grabbed everyone's attention recently when he asked Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg for $1 billion on Twitter. He claimed to be $53 million in debt, and wanted the money to fund his great ideas.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/698926987281371136

While Escobar was in his private prison, he forced two bosses of the Medellin cartel to pay him a so-called "war tax" of $200,000, which he later raised to $1 million dollars per month. This tax supported his luxurious lifestyle in prison, as he couldn't expand his business from inside The Cathedral, better known as Club Medellin, due to it's luxurious amenities.

So, there you have it. We may not know which Pablo Kanye is referring to in his new album, but the similarities with this infamous drug lord are uncanny.