One of Pop culture’s most notable moments was the feud between Kanye West and Taylor Swift. More than a decade ago, both Grammy-winning artists had their first encounter on an award show. Seven years later, the rivalry carried on with another incident that left a dent in the friendship they established after the 2009 incident.
Most of the feud was about Kanye West making Taylor Swift ‘famous’ which led to a generation of fans arguing over whether the rapper really made Swift famous. So the question is, does Taylor Really owe her success to West?
Related: Why Did Kanye West Think His Career Was Over After The Taylor Swift 2009 VMAs Incident?
What Was The Feud Between Kanye West And Taylor Swift About?
The feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West started in 2009, when Taylor received the award for Best Music Video for her song ‘You Belong With Me’. Kanye, as it seemed, wasn’t too happy about the award and decided to go on stage and interrupt Taylor’s VMA monologue by saying that Beyonce deserved the award more. This led to a strained relationship between the artists that lasted for years.
But in 2016, after the release of Kanye’s song “Famous,” which had a controversial line about Taylor, the conflict intensified. “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex, Why? I made that bch famous” were some of the lyrics from his song.
Not just that. The video shows a naked Taylor Swift sleeping next to West- which fans found derogatory as Taylor has often shied away from nudity and NSFW content. She also claimed that the lyrics didn’t have her consent to which Kanye responded by saying that Taylor is lying and that she gave him consent to be called a b*tch in the song.
Kanye’s then-wife Kim Kardashian then entered the conflict by releasing clips from a phone call that appeared to show Taylor had granted her consent. Taylor argued that the call had been modified selectively and lacked the complete context of the discussion.
This sparked a public argument as both sides exchanged accusations and fans chose sides. The conflict included discussions of stardom, privacy, trickery, and sincerity in the social media age. That was the year when Taylor got cancelled and she went on to disappear from public light for a year. She came back in 2017 with her album ‘reputation’.
In Case You Missed It: Which Taylor Swift Songs Are About Kanye West?
So Did Kanye Really Make Taylor ‘Famous’?
Taylor Swift’s journey to fame began well before her encounter with Kanye West. She had already released successful albums and gained a substantial fan base with her country-pop music. By the time of the incident, Taylor was already a recognizable name in the music industry. ‘Fearless’ was a successful album and remains to be the most awarded country album in the history of country music.
Undoubtedly, Taylor Swift was pushed into the spotlight by Kanye’s disruption at the VMAs. She became a topic of conversation among not just music fans but also the entire public as a result of the occurrence. This generated headlines sparked online discussions and made Taylor a talking point. It’s important to recognize that fame, on the other hand, rarely results from a single event. It is rather the result of sustained hard work, brilliance, and cultural resonance.
Ever since the incident, both fandoms have frequently argued over who made who famous. Kanye fans of course claim that Taylor owes Kanye’s interruption at the VMAs for her success, while Swifties claim that Taylor was famous long before Kanye interrupted and that Taylor was, in fact, the person who gave him recognition as many people only came to know him after the VMA incident.
“kanye made taylor swift famous” and whats this then? pic.twitter.com/gVNMK2ra76
— 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒕 ⸆⸉ (@rwylmsupporter) August 14, 2023
When it comes to sales statistics, Kanye’s ‘Late Registration’ has sold over 6 million copies worldwide. It is his best-selling album. While ‘1989’ for Swift stands out as her best-selling album to date. Over 14 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide in total.
Kanye has taken home 21 Grammys in his 19-year-old career, and Swift has taken home 11 Grammys in her 17-year-old career.
It is however notable to mention that Kanye’s awards have all been from the ‘Rap’ category of the nomination and has actually never won any of the big four. On the contrary, Swift remains to be the only female artist in history to have won the Album Of The Year three times.
Conclusion
So did Kanye really make Taylor Swift famous? Most likely not.
The argument over whether Kanye West helped Taylor Swift become famous is complex and nuanced. Taylor’s interruption by Kanye was a turning moment that sparked discussions and increased her reputation. But it shouldn’t detract from her inherent skill, perseverance, and artistic accomplishments.
To this date, she has been continuously breaking records and putting out new albums and has always done something new and gotten recognition for it.
As of 2023, Kanye has been canceled by numerous brands. And has been called out in public for humiliating his ex-wife and being anti-semitic. He has also lost nearly one billion from his wealth.
As for Taylor, she’s on her most successful tour yet, performing three-hour sold-out shows for her fans. She’s re-recording her music and surprisingly breaking records with even her pre-listened albums. She’s on her way to becoming a billionaire. She has also broken the record for being the artist with the most no. of #1 songs on the Billboard charts.
In conclusion, there’s just one person who made Taylor Swift famous: Taylor Swift herself.
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