On E! Network’s post-Grammys coverage, Kanye West followed up on what was an apparent effort to repeat his 2009 MTV Video Music Awards folly, in which he interrupted Taylor Swift and said Beyoncé deserved the year’s best female video award.
However, this time West stopped short of such a spectacle and turned back after walking up on stage.
West explained to E! what his motivations were, arguing Beyoncé deserved the show’s album of the year, which went to Beck for “Morning Phase.” According to West, Beck should have given up the award to Beyoncé as a show to “respect artistry.”
“I don’t even know what he said. I just know that the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us,” West said. “We ain’t gonna play with them no more. ‘Flawless,’ Beyoncé video. And Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé and at this point, we tired of it because what happens is when you keep on diminishing art and not respecting the craft and smacking people in the face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you’re disrespectful to inspiration.”
“And we as musicians have to inspire people who go to work every day,” he continued. “And they listen to that Beyoncé album and they feel like it takes them to another place. Then they do this whole promotional event, that, you know, they’ll run the music over somebody’s speech, the artist, because they want a commercial advertising. Like no, we not playing with them no more. And by the way, I got my wife, I got my daughter, and I got my clothing line so I’m not going to do nothing to put my daughter at risk — but I am here to fight for creativity. That’s the reason why I didn’t say anything tonight. But y’all know what it meant when ‘Ye walked on the stage.”
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