If there’s one thing that Taylor Swift has taught us in her sixteen-year career, it’s that no one, and we mean no one, should mess with her. Perhaps the most talked-about celebrity out there, Taylor has faced her share of criticism, feuds, and drama throughout her career. But there are two men who Taylor, in particular, swore were her nemeses. One who stole her music and another who stole her dignity, only for her to win both of them back, and victoriously so.
In her chart-topping song ‘Karma‘, she sings about how karma will find the people who have hurt her in the past. True to her prediction, here’s how Scooter Braun and Kanye West had their downfall as Taylor continued to thrive, succeed, and win the world.
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What’s The Feud Taylor Swift Had With Kanye West?
Everyone was strapped in for the pop culture rollercoaster that was the Taylor Swift and Kanye West feud. Kanye made a spectacular entrance when Taylor was about to accept her award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and yelled that Beyoncé deserved it more. The incident ended with fans and artists being unhappy with Kanye’s behavior with Taylor, who was a teenager then and new to the industry.
Now cut to 2016, when Kanye released ‘Famous’, a song that had the line, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
Why? I made that bitch famous”. Needless to say, Taylor disapproved of the line and claimed that she didn’t give her consent to being featured in Kanye’s song like that. Kanye, of course, came out and said that they’d talked about it and got the green light.
Kim Kardashian then joined the conversation. She made a call between Kanye and Taylor public, suggesting that Taylor was aware of the lyric and was lying. Taylor then argues back, saying that the conversation Kim had posted was edited and missed out on the necessary parts. She was proven right later, but the feud led to everyone canceling her, and she turned away from the public eye for a year.
In Case You Missed It: Did Kanye West Really Make Taylor ‘Famous’?
What Was Taylor Swift’s Feud With Scooter Braun About?
The feud between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun raised questions about artistic ownership, the dynamics of power, and how the music business is one big dirty game.
The master recordings of Taylor Swift’s early albums – from Taylor Swift to ‘Reputation‘ were under Big Machine Label Group, until Scooter Braun bought them. Swift, who is known for her deeply personal lyrics and true relationship with her fans, expressed her disappointment in response with a touching Tumblr post. She felt betrayed because her life’s work was traded off without her permission. And the fact that it was given to someone she had frequently expressed her disapproval of only made her anger worse. This was more than just music; it was also personal. Taylor accused Scooter of being part of some not-so-friendly moments from her past.
Big names came into the chat then. Taylor’s musician friends stood by him, but some, like Scooter Braun’s friend Justin Bieber, defended him. Supporters of Braun, including his wife, spoke out in his defense, calling Taylor a liar and a bully and denying her allegations that she was denied the opportunity to own her songs.
Swift responded by setting out in an attempt to take back control of her music. In order to produce new master recordings and possibly recover some of the financial gains, she announced plans to re-record all of her earlier albums.
It’s been three years since the incident and Swift is way past all of that. But here’s how Karma found both the men who attempted to make her life miserable.
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Kanye West Gets Canceled
Kanye West’s status as a music and fashion icon declined in 2022, turning him into a troubling, psychotic, and anti-Semitic rapper. Almost everyone has severed relations with Ye, including his representatives, lawyers, and endorsement partners like Adidas.
According to Forbes, the 45-year-old’s net worth decreased from $2 billion to $400 million as a result of the universal cancellation.
The “White Lives Matter” t-shirt controversy at a Paris fashion show was the trigger, and it quickly grew into accusations of antisemitism on both mainstream and social media. The last straw was West’s support of Hitler, where he said, “I see good things about Hitler. […] I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.”
Fans of Kanye West were forced to stop supporting him. They were rooting for the rapper’s downfall. After a messy divorce from Kim Kardashian and going psychotic on social media where he constantly harassed Kim’s then-boyfriend Pete Davidson and other people, saying problematic stuff, it just seemed like the world had had enough of West.
In Case You Missed It: “Taylor Has Every Right To Re-Record”- Scooter Braun Talks About Taylor Swift And Artists ‘Weaponizing Fanbase’
Scooter Braun Gets Fired By All His Clients
Scooter Braun’s biggest clients are now leaving him. The music mogul reportedly cut ties with a couple of his biggest stars, according to many reports. The first person to allegedly fire Scooter was Justin Bieber. Apparently, the ‘Lonely‘ singer was “poking around for a new agency or manager,” according to a Puck article from August 2023. Representatives for Scooter and Justin, however, denied the allegations. Statements to Us Weekly stated, “This is not true.”
Next in line was Ariana Grande. The ‘Thank U Next‘ singer and Scooter reportedly parted ways in August 2023. After the Justin scandal, she reportedly cut ties with Braun too. One of her close sources said, “Yes, there are negotiations happening because of contracts. But this is her choice. It’s time for something new.”
Then, along with the news of Ariana’s leaving, Demi Lovato’s separation from Scooter was also announced. She has been a part of SB Projects since 2019. Variety received confirmation from a source in August 2023 that “the decision was mutual and amicable” and that she is “currently seeking new management.” The report was initially reported by Billboard, which also noted that the publicists for Scooter and Demi declined to comment.
Swifties all over Twitter have started referring to Taylor Swift’s lyrics in her song ‘Karma’ where she sings:
My pennies made your crown
Trick me once, trick me twice
Don’t you know that cash ain’t the only price?
It’s coming back around
And I keep my side of the street clean
You wouldn’t know what I mean
People also seemed to bring out how Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber supported Scooter during his feud with Taylor Swift.
Well if there’s one thing we have learnt from this, it’s that never mess with Taylor Swift. She’ll always get the last laugh. As she correctly said in her song, ‘Better Than Revenge‘, “I’ll always get the last word”.
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