Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media, Inc.
On September 13, 2009, as Taylor Swift was about to bask in the applause from the audience while accepting the award for Best Female Video, Kanye West had different intentions.
He abruptly interjected, “I’m really happy for you,” as he intruded onto the stage uninvited. He continued, “I’m gonna let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.”
The notorious incident during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards marked a significant juncture in Swift’s career. At that time, her music was gaining popularity among pop music enthusiasts, even though she had initially established herself in the country music genre.
The track for which she was receiving recognition at the moment of West’s stage intrusion, “You Belong With Me,” played a pivotal role in facilitating this transition.
In the meantime, Kanye West was amidst a streak of four highly praised albums, with a fifth one slated for release in the subsequent year.
According to a 2019 Vox article, this incident established the ongoing perception that Taylor Swift would forever be a figure caught in the whirlwind of pop culture, for both positive and negative outcomes. The impact of this incident on their public images over the past decade has aligned with significant divisions within American culture.
The incident took Kanye West on a divergent path as he vehemently asserted that Beyoncé should have been the winner, ultimately leading to his evolution into a pop culture antagonist, as described by Vox.
Interestingly, in 2015, Taylor Swift and Kanye West shared the VMA stage once more when Swift presented West with the Video Vanguard Award.