The relationship between Taylor Swift and Kanye West has been an intricate and long-lasting complex, involving a whole decade.
The controversial 2009 VMA incident and the most recent event in 2020 are not the only ones where the two musicians had problems with each other.
The singer Swift thinks that the artist West is not a gentleman since he makes fun of women and bullies them.
In this article the dispute of music between female singers is explained as one of the outcomes of the musician industry that is not treated right due to misogyny.
The Early Years: 2009-2011
The feud between them started after the 2009 VMAs. West stormed the stage and interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech and, in his own words, he declared that Beyoncé’s ‘Single All Time‘ video was “one of the best videos of all time.”
Swift was deeply saddened by the whole, and this moment of sudden shock resulted in heated discussions regarding West’s behavior.
In the years to come no war was spared between the two artists and Swift personally defaming West as “bullying” while the latter simply demeaned the Swift by calling her “fake”.
The Feud Escalated: 2016-2018
The 2016 album “The Life of Pablo” by West, which includes the track “Famous”, whose lyrics are “I made that bitch famous” began a chain of comments between the two artists.
Swift’s team reportedly denied permission to use her name and likeness. We see the wife of the west, Kim Kardashian, then posted snaps of the west and his fellow Swift discussing the lyrics, all of it was subjected to editing to make it look like Swift’s people had caused slander.
The feud reached a new level in 2018 when West contributed to what is now one of the most controversial songs, “No Mistakes,” from his album “Ye.”
Among the lyrics: “I made a mistake and I’m sorry, Taylor Swift.” Swift expressed her frustration and hurt in a statement she posted on her Instagram, accusing West of using his power for bullying.
Timeline of the Feud
2009
• September 13: Swift is interrupted by West at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when he named Beyonce as the one of best artists ever.
• September 14: On “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, West turned to comedy, and he apologized for his previous actions.
• September 15: Finally, we witness Swift’s forgiving nature as she accepts West’s apology.
2013
• June 16: West shows his remorse naively.
2015
• February 8: When West and Swift appeared at the 2015 Grammy Awards, and with Swift wearing a dress by West’s wife Kim Kardashian, rumors of collaboration commenced.
• August 30: Swift is bestowed West with MTV’s Video Vanguard Award by MTV Video Music Awards.
2016
• February 11: West comes out with a song “Famous” in which he says “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I made that bitch famous”
• February 15: Swift responds during her Grammy acceptance speech, saying to all young women, “There will always be people around who will get at you negatively or claim to be the reasons for your achievements.”
• June 16: West along with his wife Kim Kardashian justifies the song” Famous” which was approved earlier by Taylor Swift.
• June 24: West shared the video for “Famous” that had been shot with Swift’s nude wax statue.
• July 17: Kim shares the video of the West and the country singer Swift talking about the lyrics from West’s song, which she quoted as approving of.
2017
• November 10: Swift comes out with her album “Reputation,” whose song “Look What You Made Me Do,” is believed by many as an indirect response to West and the Kardashians.
2019
• March: In a post-interview statement, she addresses West and Kardashian as the perpetrators.
• June 30: Swift attacks both West and Braun because of what they did to her after Braun purchased her old record label.
• August 25: She writes out a passage about the 2009 VMAs where she was booed on stage.
2020
• March: West’s conversation with Swift and the actual record is leaked to the public, which reveals that West asked Swift for her approval to use her name in the song,” Famous,” and responded that she never allowed him to do it.
Misogyny in the Music Industry
The fact that Swift and West are feuding is not about the two stars expressing their disagreement; it is about the misogynistic attitude embedded in the industry.
The media and some fans have made Swift’s subjection to sexism and misogyny evident since the beginning of her career.
West and on the other hand, have seriously made some ignorant and misogynistic comments along the line of his career.
Starting point from the infamous “bitch” lyric in “Famous” to his recent claim that “women are the most beautiful thing in the world, but they’re also the most dangerous.”
Swift’s showdown against West is not just her stating the obvious – it is about her being on a movement to protect the music industry against misogyny and sexism.
As she said in her Instagram statement that it is not her desire to be named as ‘victim’ but, she wants to be remembered as strong woman who stand tall in every difficult situation.
Swift & West – History of Conflict
The conflict between Taylor Swift and Kanye West has been evolving for a long with the famous VMA altercation in 2009 being just the spark that set the uncounted drama series in motion.
Although that single episode could have been like the spark that fueled their public arguments, as it turned out.
At the start of the 2000s, both Swift and West were new artists in the country music industry at their busiest with Swift’s debut album in 2006 and West’s famous album called “Graduation” in 2007.
Back then there seemed to be a certain level of cordial relationship with both of them praising each other and Taylor even taking a stage slot on his “Glow in the Dark” tour in 2008.
However, the way they treated each other at the 1993 VMA did not mark the beginning and the end of their tensions.
In the couple of months that were left until the happening, Swift had been through several occasions of being misinterpreted either as mean or disrespectful by Kanye.
In 2008, when Rolling Stone interviewed him, West bragged about being a fan favorite and mentioned Swift, whom he referred to as “a kid,” and said she shouldn’t be compared to his level of fame.
While West has already had a long-term influence on Taylor Swift’s music, so he latterly remarked himself how West he influenced her songwriting.
Nevertheless, amid the VMA incident aftermath, she became the one who wasn’t afraid of speaking about his erratic behavior, saying that West was “arrogant” and “selfish” in a 2010 interview with ABC.
Conclusion
- Taylor Swift and Kanye West’s conflict is more than just complicated.
- Although they had a brief truce the year before, there was no sign of mending fences as both of them still traded insults in the press or social media.
- Their complicated past and personal differences institute aggressive and aggressive roadblocks.
- By far, the music industry got much more unique and challenging when those two stars (Kanye West and Taylor Swift) became each other’s eternal rivals.
- Unbelievably, this feud has come to captivate and hold the attention of an increasingly diverse fan base around the globe.