It looks like everyone’s favourite egomaniacal hip-hop star is at it again. The outspoken rapper 
interrupted Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video at last night’s MTV Video Music Awards. Kanye stormed the stage to make an unsolicited declaration of what he considers to be the best video of the year – no wait – best video OF ALL TIME (easy on the Dom Perignon there, Kanye).
It didn’t take long for the outraged Twitterati to blast Kanye West. Many on Twitter were ready to boycott the rapper’s music (can you boycott music you steal off the internet?). Judging by the reaction on Twitter, it was easy to assume that Kanye had directly criticized Swift, or worse (I thought he had kicked Swift off the stage and ran off with her award).
But all he said was that (in his opinion) Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.
What?
Well, maybe it’s not so much what he said but how he said it. I mean, why would Kanye interrupt Swift during her speech? Better yet, why would Kanye focus specifically on Taylor Swift? The easy answer is that this was nothing more than a drunken rant by a spotlight hog. But for the conspiracy theorists out there, this was a very deliberate and effective publicity stunt.
Swift is an established country singer who has been around since 2006, so she’s definitely not new. But her recent single “You Belong With Me” has earned her popularity in the pop charts. So it’s safe to assume that this single has helped her appeal to a broader audience. With her recent foray into the pop-world, you can bet she probably sees the benefit of gaining mass appeal.
Nothing will help her appeal to the masses more than being the poor little 17-year-old country star who was robbed of her big moment (strange that reports of last night’s incident claim she is 17 when she is actually 3 months away from turning 20).
People who saw her acceptance speech were devastated that the sweet and innocent pop star had her big moment ruined. Regardless of whether or not they like her music, or even know who she is, they felt an instant sense of empathy. Some even wanted retribution.
So when Beyonce went onstage to receive her own award for (wait for it) Best Video of the Year, the perfect moment was there for the taking. Beyonce nobly invited Swift back on stage to have her moment. And of course, Swift obliged, without any real awkwardness or hesitation.
In the end, everyone gets what they want. Viewers witness a real-life drama play out complete with an underdog, a villain and a hero. Beyonce plays the role of a selfless class-act, Kanye maintains his reputation as the bad-ass rapper who plays by his own rules (his real fans will continue to support him no matter what), and Taylor Swift establishes herself as America’s sweetheart – a simple girl who, thanks to Beyonce, finally gets to enjoy her big moment in the spotlight.
That’s quite the Cinderella story.
So was this all an elaborate plan to get some publicity for a rising pop star? Would the reaction have been the same if if was a different singer? How would people have reacted if Kanye had crashed Lady Gaga’s acceptance speech? (admit it, you hoped he did)
Meh – it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that for the next week or so, everyone will be talking about Taylor Swift. Those who didn’t know who she was before this incident will now have a reason to cheer for her, while her fans will love her even more. Celebrity gossip blogs, tabloids and TV will recycle the same story, forcing a feel-good angle that will likely focus on a simple, unassuming country singer who triumphed despite adversity.
Hey, wait… what was her video about again?
