TwistedSifter

Today we take a look at how the Internet finished what Kanye West started. The 2009 MTV VMAs were the tipping point, but it’s important to understand some of the key events leading up to this momentous occasion. Let’s reminisce:

2001 - Kanye receives critical acclaim for his production work on Jay-Z’s The Blueprint. Notable tracks include: Izzo (H.O.V.A), Heart of the City and the controversial diss track, The Takeover

2004 - Signed to Rocafella Records, Kanye West releases The College Dropout on February 10, 2004. The album is a massive commercial success selling over 3 million records in the United States alone (source)

2005 - On September 2, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC, the controversy begins as Mr. West deviates from the prepared script:

2006 - The flood gates open and the Super-Ego takes over. ‘06 is littered with Kanye-isms that enrage and delight:

Exhibit A West sparks controversy when he appears on the cover of Rolling Stone in the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. He tells Playboy, “I throw up historical subjects in a way that makes kids want to learn about them. I’m definitely in the history books already.”

Exhibit B After the 2006 Grammy nominations were released, West said he would “really have a problem” if he didn’t win the Album of the Year

Exhibit C On November 2, when “Touch the Sky” failed to win Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards, West went onto the stage as the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for “We Are Your Friends” and argued that he should have won the award instead

2007 - In September, West suggests that his race had to do with being overlooked for opening the MTV Video Music Awards in favor of Britney Spears; he claimed, “Maybe my skin’s not right”. On that night, he lost all 5 awards that he was nominated for, including Best Male Artist and Video of the Year. After the show he was visibly upset that he had lost at the VMAs two years in a row, stating that he would not come back to MTV ever again.

2008 - Welcome to the Good Life. Everything Kanye does now is Amazing. It’s as if the controversy only makes him Stronger. Five words say it all: “You can’t tell me nothin”

Exhibit A June 15, West is scheduled to perform a late night set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. His performance starts almost two hours late and runs for half of its allotted time angering many. West later writes an outraged entry on his blog, blaming the festival organizers as well as Pearl Jam’s preceding set, which ran longer than expected (the blog post has been since removed)

Exhibit B September 11, West and his road manager/bodyguard Don Crowley are arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and booked on charges of felony vandalism after an altercation with the paparazzi in which West and Crowley broke the photographers’ cameras:

“All Falls Down”
On Sunday September 13, 2009, Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift’s Acceptance Speech for Best Female Video. Click here to see the infamous clip

“Heard ‘Em Say”

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Porn-star pity. Ouch.
Even Obama gets in on it! Aren’t there more important things like health care and financial regulation you should be dealing with?

Internet FTW

And so it began. Since Sunday night the creative juices have been flowing and the world’s biggest peanut gallery has been churning out content ever since. We anticipate complete wear-out by week’s end. Until then, get in your Roflcoper, hop on your lollerskates, or drive your lol-tus to the greatest show on Earth. It’s Amazing.

If you don’t know about the Wolf, you can learn all about him here.

Lastly, you can now overlay Kanye’s words of wisdom on any website. Just add the full url of your choice as follows: http://kanyelicio.us/http://www.TwistedSifter.com/



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If you enjoyed this article, the Sifter highly recommends: Any of the 59 volumes of the Friday Shirk Report