Rapping artist Kanye West stormed the Grammy award stage at the Staples Center just as Beck was accepting the album of the year honor — an apparent near-reprisal of his 2009 stage-storm of Taylor Swift, who won in the best female video category over Beyonce.
Mr. West moved toward Beck as if he were about to seize the award but then turned and jumped off the stage, Fox News reported. After the ceremony, however, he had a lot to say — including a claim that Beck should have turned his award over to Beyonce.
“I just know that the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us,” he said during an interview with E! network’s after show. “We ain’t gonna play with them no more. And Beck needs to respect artistry, and he should’ve given his award to Beyonce.”
He went on, Fox News said: “Because when you keep on diminishing art and not respecting the craft and smacking people in their 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, and they listen to that Beyonce album and they feel like it takes them to another place.”
In 2009, Mr. West accosted Ms. Swift on stage as she accepted a best female video award for her “You Belong With Me,” beating out Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.”
Then, he took hold of the microphone and said: “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ma [going to] let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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