RAP BEEF TIMELINE · 2009–present
Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift
The VMA interruption and “Famous”
DormantHeat index 5/5
An award-show interruption became a decade of headlines, music, public appearances, and one very public disagreement over a phone call.
THE RECORD
The moments
Performance
The VMA interruption
West interrupted Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. The moment became the first headline in a long public saga.
Read the receipt ↗Reconciliation
A public reunion moment
Swift presented West with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 VMAs, an apparent reset broadcast live.
Read the receipt ↗Diss track · disputed account
“Famous” hits the timeline
Kanye's song put the saga back in the middle of pop culture. Swift responded at the Grammys, and the earlier phone-call dispute became the headline again.
“I made that b**ch famous.”Kanye West, “Famous”
▶ Watch “Famous”Read the receipt ↗
THE RECEIPTS
Sources and listening
CBS News — West and Swift timeline ↗TIME — Swift's 2016 Grammys response ↗ARTIST LENSES