Kanye West debuted the music video for his latest track Fade at the MTV VMAs and introduced it with a speech that will go in the annals of the awards history.
Wearing a T-shirt with the name of his track Famous on it, the 39-year-old opened by saying, “I am Kanye West and it feels really great to say especially this year.â
"I came here to present my new video, but before I do that, Imma talk." – @kanyewest #VMAs https://t.co/ukVtlkcIsD
— MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2016
Talking about the infamous music video that featured naked celebrity waxworks, he called out Taylor Swift, his wife Kim Kardashian West’s ex Ray J and his own ex-girlfriend Amber Rose in the speech.
“I see you, Amber,” he called out to the audience as he explained the video was “an expression of our fame right now”.
Speaking about his clash with Taylor over a leaked call in which she gave permission to name her in the song, he said, “You know, like, people come up to me like, âMan, thatâs right ⦠Take Taylor? I love all y’all, thatâs why I called her.”
It prompted cheering from the crowd and saw wife Kim in the audience shake her head laughing.
Kanye also briefly addressed the Black Lives Matter movement as he spoke about gun violence in his home town of Chicago and his role models.
He said: “If you seeing people dying right next to you you might think what’s the point. You know, life can be like starting to feel worthless.
"That's why I called her." – @kanyewest #VMAs https://t.co/uNIG9zUxJS
— MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2016
“I know at times for me, I sit down and talk to older, rich people, AKA white, and they tell me don’t compare yourself to Steve Jobs and don’t compare yourself to Walt Disney.
“And my friend told me there’s three keys to keeping people impoverished, taking away their esteem, taking away their resources and taking away their role models.
"Disney. Jobs. West." – @kanyewest #VMAs https://t.co/kRUxJQtLHT
— MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2016
“My role models are artists, merchants. There’s less than 10 I can name in history: Truman, Ford, Hughes, Disney, Jobs, West.”
Introducing his new video, he said: “We are undeniably the influence, the thought leaders. Iâm gonna play yâall a piece of my art.”
The rambling speech was a tad confusing to some.
The only person in the building who understands what Kanye is talking about. #VMAs https://t.co/jw5332a2nV
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 29, 2016
#vmas Trying to follow Kanye's thought process like pic.twitter.com/SBv1ZK45jh
— Daniel José Older (@djolder) August 29, 2016
I just went on vacation and came back and Kanye was still on his second sentence ðð¼ #VMAs
— King Wolfie (@wolfieraps) August 29, 2016
Kanye West's speech was longer than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. #VMAs
— Professor Snape (@_Snape_) August 29, 2016
idea for a fun drinking game: drink every time kanye says "like" #VMAs
— Korey Kuhl (@koreykuhl) August 29, 2016
kanye west hyping himself is me at 3am in the group chat telling everyone why my joke that didn't land was actually really clever #VMAs
— Ben J. Pierce (@BenJPierce) August 29, 2016
