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Kanye West is no stranger to controversy. The rapper, fashion designer, and self-proclaimed genius, has in recent years become a lightning rod for controversy.
In light of his most recent controversies, it only makes sense that we take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the most controversial moments of his career.
1) Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift At MTV’s Video Music Awards - Sept. 13, 2009:
Most people attribute this particular moment as the genesis of Kanye's divisive streak.
In September 2009 at MTV’s Video Music Awards, the rapper invaded the stage to interrupt Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video, saying Beyoncé was more deserving of the award.
The ensuing outrage prompted him to go on an apology tour, including on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to explain himself.
2) West Leaves Nike For Adidas - Dec. 3, 2013:
Feeling unappreciated and frustrated with his time at Nike, Kanye made it well-known that he was done with being looked down upon via his album Yeezus.
With songs like “New Slaves,” Yeezus is his most anti-establishment project.
In the album, he airs his frustration with Nike for only being interested in his name, not his ideas. By the end of the year, West had moved over to Adidas.
3) The “Bill Cosby Innocent” Tweet - Feb. 9, 2016:
While promoting his next album The Life of Pablo, West previewed a new single on New Year’s Eve 2015 called “Facts,” in which one of the lyrics asks: “Do anybody feel bad for Bill Cosby? / Did he forget the names just like Steve Harvey?”
The artist then went on a twitter tirade, with tweets such as "BILL COSBY INNOCENT!!!!!!!!!!", offering absolutely zero context.
This enraged a lot of people who took it as the rapper endorsing the comedian despite the sexual allegations surrounding him.
4) Kanye Ends The Saint Pablo Tour Early After Episodes Where He Supported Trump and Bashed Jay-Z - Nov. 19, 2016:
There was a lot of criticism surrounding the Saint Pablo tour becoming about more of his political rants, but it all went South when he made it public that he would be voting for Donald Trump in the 2016 elections.
The tour would end a week earlier than the intended date because his team sent him to a psychiatric ward.
5) West’s TMZ Interview Goes Haywire - May 1, 2018:
Kanye was the recipient of some heavy backlash after he said 400 years of slavery sounded like a choice to him.
"When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice," he said in his TMZ live interview.
West later tried to clarify his comments on Twitter, including using a fake Harriet Tubman quote, by saying that he wants black Americans to get out of the slavery mindset.
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