It’s hard to tell if Senator Bernie Sanders is what we need as a country, but he’s what many clearly want.

In 2004, Kanye West was an up-and-coming artist who had proven himself behind the scenes of the music world as a producer and sought to showcase his talents on a larger stage. He spent the years before 2004 honing his craft, making his connections, pointing out his target audience and preparing himself for the main stage, a stage where a change could be made in music.

2016 is Bernie Sanders’ 2004.   

Short of mixing and mastering beats all day like Kanye, Bernie has instead created a solid platform. Though his statements at times may be extreme and outlandish (hmm… who does that remind us of?), they are reflections of his true experiences and this purity is more than appealing.

According to an article from the New York Times editorial board, “Surveying young voters in November,” Della Volpe, the director of polling at the Harvard Institute of Politics, noted that support for Sanders among potential voters ages 18 to 29 had rocketed from 1 percent to 41 percent in about six months. Asked what they valued most in a candidate, young voters said integrity, level-headedness and authenticity, in that order. Political and business experiences were far down the list.”

Bernie’s connections are in his lack of connections. The music industry and America’s political world are one in the same in that they are both powered by alliances.

Bernie’s connections cannot come from the “millionaires and billionaires” that he likes to shine light upon. They cannot come from the political equivalents of JAY Z. Instead, they come from the common people, which is a connection and statement of artistry within itself.

According to Open Secrets, Bernie Sanders has currently raised $182.2 million for his campaign fund, 99.98 percent of which has come from campaign donations. Only .02 percent has come from Super PACs and like groups.

Kanye’s debut album begins with the following statement: “Kanye, can I talk to you for a minute? Me and the other faculty members was wonderin’ could you do a lil som… Somethin’ beautiful, somethin’ that the kids is gon’ love when they hear it. Tha’s gon make them start jumpin’ up and down and sharin’ candy an’ stuff. Think you could probably do somethin’ for the kids for graduation to sing?”

In the same way, the many lyrics of “The College Dropout” hook you with something special, some sort of individualized message for youth culture, so does Bernie every time he speaks.

Bernie Sanders has inspired a new generation of voting action and thought in an eerily similar way to the rise of Kanye West. If they met, I believe they would spark a friendship or Kanye would at least see a bit of his past self in Sen. Sanders.