Kanye West, along with other celebrities, should not be censored based on the controversy of their statements online.

Whether or not we think one man should have all that power, West has held a grip on not only his community, but the social world, for over a decade.

From interrupting Taylor Swift’s VMA award speech to promoting the controversial platform of our 45th president, West has always found a way to rebel against what is expected of an influential figure, turning a blind eye to the normative behaviors of other celebrities.

Controversy surrounding him seems to have grown at an exponential rate since then. In a recent TMZ interview, West breached back into the spotlight.

“We hear about slavery for 400 years,” he said. “For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.”

West also praised Trump as being an “outsider” who infiltrated the “inside.”

To the critical eye, his word is not gospel. But to much of his audience, it is.

The sooner we recognize the force of his influence, the more efficiently we can combat it.

Despite West’s brash presence in the media and controversial statements, censoring him would be the wrong way to combat West’s dogma. We should not limit anything that West, or any other celebrity says.

But freedom puts even more pressure on idols, who control a unique platform which they use to influence an entire generation. We cannot hold artists accountable to being a positive influence on their audience, but we can choose who we support.

If an artist is portraying a message that is harmful, don’t buy that artist’s stuff. Don’t retweet. Rather, support artists who use their platform with a greater sense of responsibility and awareness.