Kanye Visits Veterans

Rapper Kanye West, who has been all over the news this summer after a controversial performance at Bonnaroo, is now getting press for a more positive reason. West, along with MTV VJ Sway Calloway, is teaming up with MTV’s “Choose or Lose” campaign to help veterans who have returned from the Iraq war.

Rapper Kanye West, who has been all over the news this summer after a controversial performance at Bonnaroo, is now getting press for a more positive reason. West, along with MTV VJ Sway Calloway, is teaming up with MTV’s “Choose or Lose” campaign to help veterans who have returned from the Iraq war.

West’s efforts will be compiled into a documentary titled “Choose or Lose and Kanye West Present: Homecoming,” taken from the rapper’s song with Chris Martin of the same name. The show has two goals: gaining exposure for veterans West describes as “falling through the cracks” and providing them with monetary gifts to pay anything from debt to college tuition.

The first objective will be met by allowing each veteran featured on the show to talk about life before, during, and after the Iraq war. West sees this as a chance to “share the spotlight with these veterans and hear their stories” (yes, he really said “share the spotlight”). The money given to the veterans will come from West himself (through the Dr. Donda West Foundation), with each veteran receiving an amount based on need.

MTV had been looking for a way to honor and help these returned soldiers, and saw Kanye as the perfect outlet. Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President of MTV News, explained, “The stories of the veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are important and worth telling. In conversations with veterans over the last year, it became clear that Kanye’s music is used by soldiers in Iraq as a way of connecting to home. Once these veterans return home, their stories are so moving that you can’t help but want to do the right thing and help them out.”

The documentary is set to air on MTV July 28 at 10 PM Eastern.