“By Any Means Necessary”: Kanye West and the Hypermasculine Construct

Abstract

On February 26, 2012, a black male walked home from a convenience store, traversing the sidewalk area of his father’s fiancé’s gated community in Sanford, Florida. He was carrying seemingly harmless items: an Arizona soft drink, a bag of Skittles, and a cell phone. As reported in a CNN article written by Greg Botelho, an armed, non-Black male, Mr. George Zimmerman, was surveying the neighborhood when he discovered the black male, identified as Trayvon Martin. Martin allegedly invoked suspicion, prompting Zimmerman to place a call to the Sanford Police Department exclaiming the following: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining, and he’s just walking around.” Although instructed not to do so, Zimmerman followed and confronted Martin. Minutes later, a scuffle ensued and Martin’s lifeless body lay face down on the community’s well-maintained lawn, where according to Zimmerman, he should not have been walking.