When Kanye West took the mic from Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) and proclaimed that Beyonce had one of the best music videos of all time, I was convinced that it was another MTV scripted “reality” moment.
That’s when celebrities started tweeting about the incident. Pink said, “Kanye West is the biggest piece of shit on earth.” Heidi Montag went so far as to say she “saw the devil in action.” It was then that I realized MTV had not planned one of the few entertaining moments of their otherwise horrendous two and a half hour show.
When P Diddy started reading the nominees for “Best Male Video,” the crowd booed and jeered angrily at the mention of “Kanye West,” who was nominated for his video “Love Lockdown.”
T.I. was also nominated. Currently, T.I. is in jail for illegally purchasing several machine guns and silencers. When T.I. was announced as a winner the crowd cheered and roared with enthusiasm for the rapper who “couldn’t be with us tonight.” Eventually the crowd stood to their feet in a prolonged ovation. Granted, Kanye interrupting Taylor Swift’s speech was both incredibly rude and disrespectful, but it was absolutely appalling at how loving the crowd was towards T.I., a convicted felon.
The next day the loathing feelings towards Kanye only grew exponentially. Tim McGraw told CMT Insider, “[Kanye] needs an ass whoopin’.” Later, Kelly Clarkson blogged a surprisingly vicious rant directed towards Kanye, stating “I’ve seen you do some pretty shitty things, but you just keep amazing me with your tactless, asshole ways. It’s absolutely fascinating how much I don’t like you. I like everyone. I even like my asshole ex that cheated on me over you…which is pretty odd since I don’t even know you.”
The celebrities who began to bash on Kanye seemed to forget that he ruined the VMAs for Taylor Swift and became more interested in insulting him. Their comments took on a life of their own.
Who was this man everyone seemed so hell-bent on ruining?
A proud “mama’s boy,” Kanye attended college for three semesters before dropping out to sign with Roc-A-Fella, which was reluctant to sign him because he doesn’t fit the typical rapper profile. He chooses to dress with preppy attire and never shied again from his middleclass upbringing with no pretense to gangsta ties. He encourages kids to follow through with their education. The Kanye West Foundation helps combat the severe drop problem in high schools by helping under-served students unleash their creative ability and reach their full potential by partnering with community organizations. One of Kanye’s self-described goals is “to inspire up-and-coming artists to go against the grain.”
This is the man the President chooses to call a “jackass” and radio stations ban? Kiss 95.1 in Florida announced they were removing all of Kanye’s music from their playlists. I wonder if they ever considered banning all the artists with overly violent or sexual songs, such as Lil Wayne’s provocative hit “Lollipop,” which was one of the top ten most played songs on the radio during 2008. I was reminded of how the audience did not boo, but clapped, when Wayne leaped up on stage to receive a Grammy for Best Rap Album of the Year. Wayne claims himself a member of the Bloods, the violent gang responsible for thousands of murders in Los Angeles. A red bandana hung from his jeans as he gave his Grammy speech.
Nevertheless, what upset me most was the way celebrities and other musicians were so quick to jump on the Kanye Hate-Wagon and rip him apart. True, Kanye was wrong to jump on stage (even if the show would’ve otherwise been a snoozer). Yet, here is an artist who wrote the song “Roses,” a bedside account of his experience when his grandmother was hospitalized. Kanye is one of the few artists we have today who relies on music, not image or a train wreck public life, to sell albums. His music spreads positively and Kanye is a walking example of how to have the confidence to believe in yourself.
In Greenwich Village, Kanye was willing to risk his “street cred” by standing up for gays after a consciousness-raising encounter in a clothing store. Meanwhile, all his colleagues seem passionate about is bashing him.
Musicians used to be passionate and have something to say. None of the celebrities self-righteously piling on Kanye, “nobly” ripping him to shreds with vicious comments, are willing to take a stance on anything of political importance. They won’t risk alienating a single fan by standing up for health care or holding Congressman Joe Wilson in check after his outburst during Obama’s speech. It’s time they get their perspective in check and take a stand for what’s actually important.
your a joke. kanye deserves everything he gets.
That’s great Vincent Chase, don’t forget it was Kanye who made your TV show mainstream by appearing on it.
i agree dude, kanye is an ass. it might’ve been his opinion, but really, that was NOT the right time at all for him to do that. and that wasn’t the first time he’s been an ass about things.
when i say agree, i meant w/ the person above me, not your article.
I wouldn’t say Kanye’s responsible, and I can’t say I like him, nor dislike him… but Entourage is an amazing show…
Most of you aren’t getting the fact that the article isn’t disregarding that Kanye’s actions were lame. It’s simply pointing out the fact that most celebrities choose to talk about insignificant events over real issues of controversy… and to get their perspectives in check.
when i say agree, i went with the person above me, not w/ ur article
I think this can be forgotten now. Both Kanye and the Grammys got a ridiculous amount of publicity for something that just seems silly now.
What a stupid article. A dick move is a dick move, regardless of who is doing it. A preppy black kid or a badass white kid, it’s just a given you don’t make girls cry. Would he have gotten on stage had it been Eminen or someone like that, I don’t think so. Classic red herring, nice try.
I think Kanye deserved whatever backlash he has received thus far. He acted like a douche bag at the event, regardless of the good things he has done. He has a major ego issue and for some reason, he highly over-values himself. That being said, I think it is time to put the issue to rest.
It has become a cliche to call Kanye West arrogant. Everyone in the country is in therapy and spending all their money on self-help books so their little internal voice will be able to say, ‘I am good and I am OK.’
If you’re going to believe all the stuff about positive thinking and self-actualization, that we affect our environment by the way we think about ourselves, do you want a better example than Kanye West?
Kanye was disrespectful. Regardless if he is prim and proper and writes good music, the way he acted towards a fellow musician was wrong.
Interesting article, in order to construct a better argument you might have devoted more time to the motivations behind the celebrities interest in crticizing something superficial.
As a result, your article spends too much time defending Kayne West’s life as opposed to the uproar caused by his actions.
Brilliant article. Good job at putting things into a logical, clear-headed perspective.
Too bad most people won’t agree with you though. The large majority of people aren’t so sagacious. The herd blindly charges as ever, even in the 21st century lol
This is the reason the few rule the many.
Well put, they are all sheep!
Nice job Sam. It is true how ridiculous and outrageous society can be. The people who usually voice out what they want to say is always ridiculed. Sadly, i agree with the shame put on Kanye West that he rudely grabbed the mic from a girl just trying to grasp and enjoy the moment. Yet, as it is standard in Hollywood today, many people would over exaggerate their feelings and make one person which seemed to only break one rule break just so many others. It is sad that this occurs in our society but heck public opinion will always be that Kayne was the devil and no matter who else it may be, at least they did not interrupt anybody. Whether that is really a big deal.
I think he deserves what he is getting. He showed a total lack of respect for other artists and he should have to reap what he sows.
Provided that Kanye West did a lot of good things to start with, it doesn’t give him the right or an excuse for doing that to a fellow artist. Sure, I like Beyonce, but then again not enough reason to dislike others.
The issue here is that it is utterly wrong. But on the brighter side, he did apologize and Ms Swift accepted. Who are we to judge? Just be happy that Ms. Swift won and she has been graceful about the whole incident, right? I say, give him another chance. Peace!
Obama is half white. Don’t forget that!
Obama is half white.
This is really the most intelligent article I’ve seen writen about this whole situation. The disgusting thing(as you pointed out) is that the entertainment industry as a whole(and hip-hop specifically) hands out free passes to celebrities who have committed acts far worse then what Kanye did. You named T.I. but what about R. Kelly someone who should be setting in a prison cell right now but instead he’s successfully releasing new music and plenty of artist are still willing to work with him. Where are the outraged tweets from Pink and open letters from Kelly Clarkston about that situation? How many of the same celebrities/fans bashing Kanye were laughing at Mike Tyson’s appearance “The Hangover” forgetting all about the fact that he’s a convicted rapist?
What Kanye did was rude and disrespectful but as Jay-Z pointed out in a recent interview the same passion that caused him to jump on that stage made him speak out against George Bush on live TV. It’s the same passion that caused him to speak up about the homophobia in hip-hop culture and its the same passion that gives him the gift to make an album that sell over 900,000 copies in it’s first week while the rest of the music industry the is suffering.
I’m not justifying his actions in any way but should he be crucified in this manner in an industry that often celebrates people who have done far worse?
It’s fascinating reading through all these comments. I can really tell who the critical thinkers are, and I applaud them all! You are one of them! You make some really great points. I thank you for your insight.
I agree with the article. It is a brilliant written article. At last somebody has the “guts” to take a stand.
Kanye is an A-hole. Why is anyone feeling sorry for this terd. Your article sucks, and so does Kanye. His music sucks too.
Sam hoomie I’m going to have to disagree just a little bit. I mean what Kanye did was completely unacceptable and ignorant. I am one of Kanye’s biggest fans and I absolutely love his music, he’s one of the brightest hip-hop artist of our time.
But his behavior is of a bastard child with no home training. I couldn’t fathom being nominated for an Oscar and winning only for Kanye West to say that Slum Dog Millionaire was one the best movies of all time and it should have won over me!
First of all Kanye West would have gotten his ass beat if he interrupted my acceptance speech and said that; and second of all it’s just an empty feeling when your pride is just taking away from a man’s inability to rationally think things through.
Things like what gang lil Wayne is affiliated with and what guns T.I. has is completely irrelevant when talking about a situation like this one. T.I. lives a life in which to bare arms is almost an obligation in order for him to be safe. Lil Wayne trust me is rich as hell and most likely isn’t banging as hard as he use to considering that he tours and makes records like crazy.
Like I said I love Kanye West the artist but as a man I can not accept his bizarre behavior.
I will continue to buy his music because on the real tip he’s my favorite music artist of all-time. Yeah I said it world !
You forget his apology. That just gave him away as a giant stinker.
“I will apologize to Taylor 2mrw. Welcome to the real world!!!! Everybody wanna booooo me but I’m a fan of real pop culture!!!”
I don’t know how Mr. Risks-Street-Cred(what street cred)-By-Standing-Up-For-Gays was raised, but I was taught that when you apologize, you don’t sound like that. But then again, I was also taught never to interrupt an awards acceptance speech, much less one in front of millions
I think a lot of you commenters are missing the point of this article. The issue isn’t what Kanye did, everybody agrees it was wrong, the issue is the inconsistencies in the celebrity reactions to what he did. Sam is right the backlash he received was completely out of proportion to what he actually did. I’m sure if Kanye actually physically asulted someone instead of stomping on a girls feelings the reaction wouldn’t be nearly this big. He was rude and mean but he didn’t break any laws. It seems as if a lot of celebrities(like Donald Trump) were just bashing him because it would get them a little attention.
So true!
Hip-hop artists are actually EMBRACED for either being in a gang, going to jail, or getting shot. This gives them their “street cred.”
Followed this from IMDb, where it was posted under, “Good article.” I can’t help but disagree.
I get the feeling that you took Kanye’s side just to be ‘different’ and ‘controversial.’ The quality and feel of the writing kind of reminds of me Kanye’s apology – quickly and poorly written, no proofreads, no thought. The piece wanders and contradicts itself, and, quite frankly, is boring and boringly predictable.
“Their comments took on a life of their own.” Unbearably cliche. And poorly used at that.
It’s one-sided and disgustingly biased, even for a collegiate paper – there is no mention of Kanye’s 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards incident, or of his 2007 VMA comments.
I dislike the use of President Obama’s quote, as it was leaked from an off-record interview, which is a disgusting play for ratings from Moran. This lack of respect for the interviewee is something more deserving of a full article.
And apparently Kanye dresses without any ‘pretense to gangsta ties,’ but manages to sport red Bloods bandanas.
Sigh. Oh well. At least it’s filed as an opinion piece.
your article sucks.west is an asshole who should be ripped.
no talent piece of racist sh*t.
The main point that everyone is missing is the type of people these are. Celebrities. When they are practicing their trade of singin or acting, they are mostly palatable. When they are doing anything else, they are so self absorbed and wrapped up in themselves that every moment becomes a competition for a chance to promote (what else) ME. This idiot is promoting himself, 24/7. Hw promotes himself by writing and performing sensitive songs about his grandmother and by making “sensitive” remarks about gays (how noble). His “apology” was nothing of the kind. I saw the Taylor on The View and guess what? The sensitive one has still made no attempt to contact her by phone, email, in person, nothing. His “apology” was all about him competing for the spotlight. In his mind, he is the only one who is important. Really. And the other Celebriites? Guess what they were thinking of? Same thing–themselves.
I get your point really… but you reap what you sow. So what Kanye is getting right now is the result of what he did. We cannot blame other celebrities hating him now, he embarrassed a celebrity too. It’s just natural for them to react for what happened to their fellow celebrity.
T.I., Lil Wayne, whatever they’ve done, they’re actually paying for it right now. T.I. is in prison, while Lil Wayne’s life is forever lost… you get what I mean?
i applaud your article sir. you’re actually someone who’s heard of kanye’s music and not his publicity. and for people to say that his career is over don’t even realize the potential he has as an artist. and its been almost a week now and you think it be over but its not people need a reason to hate someone especially when its a way to give themselves a boost
Nice satire, everyone else thinks you seriously think Kanye is a good guy, haha.
The world always wants to portrait Blacks and Latinos like the BAD guys and Whites like ANGELS. They took the opportunity to do it again. But the reality is that changes are done exactly by things done by Kanye. Do you think that Rosa Park was handled a microphone? Do you think that Cesar Chavez was handled a microphone? All the movements have started by Blacks or Latinos by GRABBING the microphone away from the WHITE people. Most of the people don’t understand what Kanye stands for but believe me HE had to GRAB the microphone to make a statement!!!.
got it!
Hell yeah Julio! Black power! Kill whitey! Go Obama!
Apart from your numerous spelling and wording issues, I would like to agree with that last sentence. He had to grab the microphone because he failed to win an award, and therefore, was not given the opportunity to speak. But I ask you, what movement was West starting here? The Revolution of Rudeness?
get a grip. this is not about race at all. you’re a moron. no-one gives a crap that he’s black and she’s white. the guy was rude. the girl was innocent. but at least try to see the point that sam’s making. celebrities are all self righteous and people need to get over what he did. he did not have THE RIGHT just because he’s black. it wasn’t his award and it wasn’t his place. so don’t bring race into it.
For anyone that thinks Kanye is a talented hip-hop artist… ok, he’s good.. but he’s nothing special. He succums to pop culture far too often (see Jay-Z’s “DoA”) and is a media whore.
i agree with this well written article. I never thought about what this article states such as, people were clapping for ti, a convicted felon… And about how they baned his music for what he did, and play lil waynes songs, and hes a gang member. This really opens up my eyes to how blown up this situation is. I love kanye and his music, and will support him no matter what he does. Great article.
Thank you Jordan, I’m glad you “get it.”
I agree by far that Kayne was emtremely rude and I am sure she was extremely embarrassed. I do feel that he should suck up the critizism for what took place and I am also sure that Taylor Swift is very aware that there are several inmature people in this world. However, he did apologize to her through a phone call and she did except it. So hopefully he has learned a lesson on publically embarrassing someone.
OKAY, THIS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND. HE DID NOT KILL ANYONE. I REPEAT, HE DID NOT KILL ANYONE. WHEN CHRIS BROWN BEAT ON RIHANNA, HE DID NOT GET THIS MUCH HEAT FROM ANYONE. RIHANNA WAS 20 TURNING 21 WHEN THE INCIDENT HAD HAPPENED. SO HER AGE IS NOT AS FAR FROM TAYLOR SWIFTS AGE. I SEE IT AS A COLOR/ RACE ISSUE. BLACK MAN GOING UP AGAINST A YOUNG WHITE GIRL. THERES PEOPLE DYING OVER SEAS AND NO ONE IS MAKING A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT. PEOPLE ARE THREATENING TO KILL THE PRESIDENT. BUT NO BIG DEAL. THIS SHOWS HOW MUCH THE WORLD IS FUCKED UP.
THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!! THAT’S WHY WE VOTED OBAMA IN! OBAMA IS GONNA GET RID OF ALL DEM WHITE FOLK!! BLACK POWER!!
Thats a great idea there you racist monkey,than mexico would invade from the south and take over,because after you ran whitey out of the country all the slick monkeys like Kanye and Michael jacksons father and people like Michaek vick and jesse jackson could make sure that reperations to blacks for slavery could finally get paid and all black people are entightled to start up there own record company and become either a record promoter or a athelete on a pro sports team and every poor black person in america would get there unemployment or welfare check even if they did not deserve it.
“you racist monkey”
Do we need more proof we’re dealing with an idiot?
Well the fact he failed to even realize “OBAMA!!!” was being sarcastic is further evidence for the jury.
again. i don’t think it’s about race. and as far as obama is concerned, i’m not an american, i’m british, but i’m glad he was voted in. but remember, obama is half white! he will not ‘get rid of all dem white folk’ you absolute moron. what do you think he’s gonna do? kill every white person in america? get real. he’s got his policies but i don’t reckon any of them involve any racist movements. thicko.
Dude, its Kanye,he can do whatever he wants,he is an icon in his own mind,we are lucky to have him grace us with his overated crap he calls music,by far kanye is the most overated ,overhyped wannabe so-called entertainer and anyone who does not see the real idiot behingdhis pathetic persona,are probably the ones who buy his music.He probably thought that beyonce did not win because racism somehow was involved.Taylor should have told him to shove his apology,Do you really think he was the least bit sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No, that cocky bastard isn’t sorry in the least. I think you’re right on about Kanye’s redonkulously overblown opinion of himself. I mean, what sane person would call themselves the voice of this generation?
And I can tell you right now this generation’s voice is not one of rudeness, disrespect, or insincerity. “I’m a fan of real pop culture”… my pasty pale ass. I don’t know where the goddamn chump finds the balls to insinuate that Swift is not ‘real pop culture’ in an apology to her.
Great article! Let’s hope that Kayne can make a great song to describe this event just like the Dixie Chicks did after the whole Bush comment:)
i’ll tell you what is wrong here.
1. you didnt think through your argument as well as you coul have, and i arrive at this by saying. – if you wre taylor swift, and you were to recieve an award for something you slaved over for a portion of your life, and then hav someone come up and tell you, that someone else did it uch better than you and deserved the award more. how would you feel?
2. west’s latest song with rihanna and jay-z is a purely racist song, as west himself is a racist he obviously wronte quite a tasty verse. and do you think it is coincidence that he insulted a white girl? no, i didnt think so.
also, have u seen oth video’s? beyonce’s snog n vid are both very boring, even if it is 3 very sexy girls dancing.
3. just because west has dnoe some pertty ordinry things in his life instead of trying to act gangsta (btw dropping out of college is nothing top be proud of, even if u were there for a while) h still isnt a decent person, coz often there is news on him doing somethnig innapropriate.
still, i like how u stand up for someone who honestly has little musical tallent, suer he is a poet, but not a musician.
Kanye deserved the so-called “piling on” as you described. He’s big boy of 30 or so, right? Many of these celebrities who you name know Taylor and were defending a friend and colleague, which you yourself are doing in this article on behalf of Kanye. Further, Kanye has more industry “power” than most of them, so if he chooses to be vindictive, he could do them harm, so I salute their bravery. As for Kanye’s good deeds and musical contributions — good for him, but it doesn’t change the fact that what he did wrong. The same goes for Roman Polanski. Both may have the respect of their colleagues, but as much as they deserve recognition for their achievements, they deserve to be held accountable for their wrongdoings.
Jem, I totally agree. Well said.
It was in the paper today after his little stunt at the vma’s, his management is telling him to go to rehab
T.I.’s da shit