Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift as she tried to accept her award for Best Video by a Female Artist and said, " I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time, one of the best videos of all time! "
It's no secret that Taylor Swift and Kanye West have a tumultuous relationship, to put it mildly. The rapper ambushed Swift's acceptance speech for Video of the Year at the 2009 MTV VMAs, an incident for which he later offered an apology. This started the pair's tumultuous history in the media.
However, despite years of conflict and a long-anticipated reconciliation, West and Swift don't seem any closer to getting back together than they did after the rapper's February 2016 release of "Famous" from his The Life of Pablo album, his subsequent claims that Swift was aware of his plans to release the song, and the infamous leak of a phone call between West and Swift discussing the song prior to its release.
What exactly happened that triggered the Taylor-Kanye feud?
Holding a bottle of Hennessy, Kanye West arrived on the 2009 VMAs red carpet. As he climbs the carpet and drinks more and more, you can see the level in the bottle gradually dwindling in photos of the red carpet posted on Getty Wire. Although Kanye wasn't on stage that evening, he was nominated in several categories and was seated in the front row. He shared the bottle with other celebrities as he waited for the show to begin, according to the night's oral history as told by Billboard.
In a beautiful glass pumpkin-shaped Cinderella carriage and a sparkling silver gown, Taylor Swift made her red carpet entrance. She had been invited to perform "You Belong With Me" at the VMAs for the first time as she made the crossover from the country music industry to mainstream pop. Additionally, she received an award nomination for the "You Belong With Me" video. Taylor was Cinderella, and the VMAs were the ball where she could formally enter the mainstream music industry. The coach and dress were deliberate analogies.
Only one category—Best Video by a Female Artist—saw Taylor receive a nomination. Her main rival was Beyoncé, whose song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" had one of the year's most popular music videos. However, Beyoncé was also nominated for the much more esteemed Video of the Year award, for which Taylor was not, so when Taylor won the Best Female Video award before the ceremony had even reached its first commercial break, most viewers did not interpret her victory as Taylor unquestionably defeating Beyoncé. Later in the evening seemed to be when Beyoncé would have her big moment.
Shakira presented Taylor with her award, and she took the stage wearing a silver Cinderella dress. She exclaimed, "Thank you so much!" “I always dreamed about what it would be like to maybe win one of these someday, but I never thought it would actually have happened. I sing country music. So thank you so much for giving me the chance to win a VMA Award! I —”
That's when Taylor's microphone was snatched out of her hands by Kanye, who had just leaped out of his front-row seat and charged the stage.
“Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish,” he said. “ But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!" Beyoncé was seen looking at the stage with her mouth open in obvious astonishment as soon as the cameras turned to her. “Oh, Kanye,” she murmured.
The audience started to jeer. As he left the platform, Kanye shrugged and gave Taylor the microphone back. Taylor accepted it and remained motionless with her lips pursed and her body rigid as the audience erupted in boos for Kanye and standing ovations for Taylor. Then MTV switched to a previously filmed segment with Tracy Morgan and Eminem. Producers rushed to comfort Beyoncé and Taylor backstage after they both started crying. To his surprise, Kanye received a request from the authorities to leave.
What happened in the aftermath of MTV VMA Taylor-Kanye feud?
The aftermath that followed was tremendous. The 2009 VMAs incident shaped Twitter into the discussion starter it is today. The narrative hinted at Kanye West's imminent transition into a cultural villain, which would happen when he embraced Trumpism and Donald Trump. For better or worse, it established the myth that Taylor Swift will always be the victim of pop culture. And the way it has affected their two public personas in the ensuing ten years parallels the main rifts in American culture.
In 2009, Twitter had only been around for three years and was still developing as a platform, but the VMAs incident showed what it could really do well: spark conversation during a moment in pop culture. It could make a scandal more prominent as soon as it breaks and maintain interest in it for days after. From that point forward, Twitter would rank among the most important resources used by the media to craft the narrative of news coverage.
Kanye apologized on his blog, “ I’m sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mom. I spoke to her mother right after, and she said the same thing my mother would’ve said. She is very talented! I like the lyrics about being a cheerleader and she’s in the bleachers! I’m in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment. Beyonce’s video was the best of this decade! I’m sorry to my fans if I let you guys down! I’m sorry to my friends. I will apologize to Taylor. Welcome to the real world. Everybody wants to boo me, but I’m a fan of real pop culture! No disrespect, but we are watching the show at the crib right now because... well, you know! I’m still happy for Taylor! Boooyaaawwww! You are very very talented! I gave my awards to Outkast when they deserved them over me. That’s what it is!! I’m not crazy, y'all. I’m just real. Sorry for that! I really feel bad for Taylor, and I’m sincerely sorry! Much respect!!”
The 2009 scandal's initial narrative was unambiguous and simple to comprehend: Obviously, Kanye was in the wrong for rushing to the stage while sipping Hennessy on the red carpet. And the innocent victim was 19-year-old Taylor, who arrived at the red carpet in a Cinderella carriage and had her blonde hair styled into ringlets.
However, the 2010 VMAs set the stage for a counter narrative that would prove to have a surprisingly long shelf life: Was Taylor Swift's answer inadvertently manipulative? And was America's continued interest in the topic perhaps a little racist?
Taylor joked while presenting Kanye with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 VMAs that Kanye has one of the best careers in history while presenting him with the Video Vanguard Award. She called him "my friend" and expressed her happiness with him. Kanye apologizes to Taylor again for the incident from 2009 during his meandering victory speech (during which he admitted to using marijuana prior to giving it), and he criticizes MTV for overhyping the incident "because it garnered them more viewers."
What happened in the “Famous” controversy?
The song “Famous” by Kanye West contained a verse, which clearly indicates Taylor Swift and the 2009 VMA:
“I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex,
Why? I made that b**** famous,
God damn,
I made that b**** famous.“
Taylor is one of many lifelike nude figures of celebrities connected to Kanye that can be seen in the accompanying video as he reclines in bed. As far as we know, her likeness in a nude state was used in the video without her consent.
The moment the song was released, a squabble erupted. When he called Taylor to get her permission to release a verse about her, Kanye claimed that she gave him her approval and told him that the verse was funny. But Taylor insisted through a spokesperson that she hadn't.
Taylor's representative told the New York Times that Kanye did not call to request permission but rather to ask her to tweet the release of his single "Famous." She rejected the offer and advised him to refrain from making a song with such an overtly misogynistic message. The representative added that Taylor was unaware of the actual lyrics, "I made that bitch famous," in addition to the other two points.
The conflict continues, with Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Taylor Swift exchanging a number of Snapchat messages, call recordings, and statements with the media and their respective reps.
FAQs
Q. What is the net worth of Taylor Swift?
A. As of 2023, Taylor Swift's net worth is anticipated to be $740 million. She started her multimillion dollar empire by recording music and going on singing tours. She endorses numerous brands and is a model for numerous brands and magazine covers.
A. As of 2023, Taylor Swift's net worth is anticipated to be $740 million. She started her multimillion dollar empire by recording music and going on singing tours. She endorses numerous brands and is a model for numerous brands and magazine covers.
Q. Did Kanye West apologize to Taylor Swift?
A. Taylor Swift revealed that Kanye West called her and was sincere in his apology, so she forgave him. Kanye in fact uploaded an apology on his blog back in 2009.
A. Taylor Swift revealed that Kanye West called her and was sincere in his apology, so she forgave him. Kanye in fact uploaded an apology on his blog back in 2009.
Q. Were things ever good between Kanye West and Taylor Swift?
A. After 2009, the issue did look like it was solved for a while. Taylor and Kanye were even seen together smiling and sharing good moments in an award show. But it all went to hell in 2016 with the release of the song “Famous”.
A. After 2009, the issue did look like it was solved for a while. Taylor and Kanye were even seen together smiling and sharing good moments in an award show. But it all went to hell in 2016 with the release of the song “Famous”.
