Why Taylor Swift Can't Shake Off Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
The world came to a halt on Sunday night when Kim Kardashian turned to Snapchat to release footage of a contested phone conversation between Kanye West and Taylor Swift regarding a particular lyric that referenced the pop star, from Kanye’s newest album The Life of Pablo:
“I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.”
But in order to understand what exactly the hullabaloo is all about, it’s important to take a look back at the complicated history between the trio.
SEE ALSO: So how’s Tom Hiddleston handling this whole Taylor Swift feud thing?
September 2009
MTV’s Video Music Awards
It’s a moment that is now legendary. Taylor Swift went on stage to accept the award for Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me,” but was interrupted by Kanye who uttered the now iconic line: “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you and I'mma let you finish—but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time."
The blowout was tremendous, and when Beyoncé graced the stage to accept Best Video of the Year, she invited Taylor to join her to "have her moment.” Additionally, Lady Gaga cancelled her joint tour with Kanye following the incident.
The Apology
A few days later, Kanye appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. While he was slated to just perform with Jay-Z and Rihanna, he took a moment to sit on the couch and apologize. “It was rude, period,” he said. “I don’t try to justify it because I was in the wrong…but I need to take some time off and analyze how I’m going to make it through the rest of this life and how I’m going to improve.”
Taylor meanwhile appeared on The View to sort things out and explain that Kanye had not reached out to apologize (he later did, over the phone and on his blog).
2010:
MTV’s Video Music Awards (again)
Taylor used the VMA’s to perform “Innocent” off of her album Speak Now. The song lyrics subtly referenced Kanye. If there was any question regarding who the song was about, the performance, which began with throwback footage from Kanye’s interruption, solidified it was about ‘Ye.
“It’s okay, life is a tough crowd / 32, and still growin’ up now / Who you are is not what you did / You’re still an innocent.”
In this same year, Kanye told an audience that Taylor never came to his defense in interviews and rode on the fame following the incident. “If I wasn’t drunk, I woulda been on stage longer,” he said.
September 2015
MTV’s Video Music Awards
It seemed as if everything was fine at this year’s VMA awards and nothing was going to burst into flames. Taylor presented Kanye with the MTV’s “Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.” She then posted an image of flowers from the artist.
“Awwww Kanye sent me the coolest flowers!! #KanTay2020 #BFFs,” Taylor captioned her photo on Instagram.
But all good things must come to an end. Kanye threw jabs at Taylor in a leaked rant backstage before his SNL performance, calling Taylor a “fake-ass”
February 2016
“Famous”
Kanye’s latest album “The Life of Pablo” premiered at Madison Square Garden in conjunction with the debut of his latest fashion venture, Yeezy Season 3. The song “Famous” sparked controversy immediately for the line: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.”
Kanye responded in a typical manner with a series of tweets, claiming that he had a conversation with Taylor about the opening line of “Famous."
Taylor’s representatives responded claiming that she did not have a phone call with Kanye. Later, they responded with a statement to Mashable saying that she had not approved the line.
Grammy Awards
When Taylor Swift accepted the award for "Album of the Year” (for her latest, 1989), her speech subtly called out Kanye. “I want to say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people on the way who will try to undercut your success and take credit for your accomplishments or your fame…”
June/July 2016
“Famous” music video
It speaks for itself, but the music video for the song that reignited the beef between Taylor and Kanye generated its own controversy. The video features footage of a naked Swift lying in a bed with other celebrities, including Kanye, Kim, Amber Rose, Rihanna and more.
Many celebrities spoke out in defense of Taylor, including Lena Dunham who wrote:
Kim Kardashian-West speaks
In a GQ cover story, Kim spoke about the beef, claiming there was video footage that Kanye had of the alleged phone conversation.
Kim also told GQ that Taylor’s team sent a letter from an attorney that demanded the footage of a phone conversation never be public. And that brings us to last night.
July 17, 2016
Following an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim cryptically tweeted to her followers, suggesting they follow her on Snapchat.
She used the platform to share video footage of the conversation between Kanye and Taylor (with producer Rick Rubin relaxing on the couch in the background, as if this isn’t a big deal).
Taylor finally responded late Sunday night with a statement, claiming Kanye promised to play her the song but never did. “You don’t get to control someone’s emotional response to being called 'that bitch’ in front of the entire world.”
And here we are…present day. With reactions continuing to pour in (Calvin Harris, we’re waiting for you) it seems as if this is a beef that will never end. But now, if anyone asks, you are armed with the knowledge to back up your allegiance to Team Taylor or Team West.
