The recent onslaught of information and misinformation concerning Taylor and Kanye has left my head in a tailspin. Part of my dissonance I attribute to being a fierce Taylor Swift fan; I have followed Taylor's music since she first came on the scene wearing sparkly dresses and cowboy boots.
However, I’ve grown to become a fan of her authenticity as a person and songwriter. She fearlessly shares her trials and triumphs with her fans through her music, and this I admire most. In Taylor’s 2016 Grammy speech, true to form, she once again showed dignity and bravery while addressing a recent attack on her character. Although she did not mention him by name, it appears that Kanye and Taylor’s paths had crossed once again.
"I want to say to all the young women out there: there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you’ll know it was you and the people who love you who put you there and that will be the greatest feeling in the world."
This speech was delivered in response to Kanye’s recent song, “Famous.” Months after Taylor’s speech, wife Kim Kardashian released an earlier recorded phone call of her husband and Swift discussing the lyrics to this song.
At one point in this Snapchat video, Kanye shares with Taylor the line in his song, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex," and she appears to be OK with that lyric, or at least tries to keep the peace between them. However, nowhere in the recorded phone call do you hear Kanye share with Swift the lyric that follows: "Why? I made that bitch famous (God damn) I made that bitch famous."
So here are my thoughts:
Kanye,
I have a few questions: Do you believe those lyrics you wrote about Taylor are complimentary towards women? If so, how? Could wanting to have sex with Taylor be offensive to your wife? In referring to a woman as a bitch, what traits must they possess to deserve this title? One day, when your daughter listens to this song and understands these lyrics, how do you think she will respond? How would you feel if someone wrote a song like this about your daughter and then framed her as a “two-faced” liar in a secretly recorded video? One last question, if you really considered Taylor a “friend” and shared with her the whole song, why would you need Kim to record your conversation?
It feels as if you knew releasing the full version of your song would result in a negative reaction from Swift and you planned to have some ammunition to use back at her when she did respond. Calculating.
Kanye, I fully support your freedom of speech, press, and expression. You had every right to write and release this song of yours, just as Taylor Swift had every right to respond to it. That's what artists do. Also thank you Kim and Kanye, for reminding the public that we should be careful with all forms of technology because we never know which “friends” might be recording our phone calls.
Finally, to Taylor, Kim, Kanye and anyone who has responded over social media to this ridiculousness:
Let's use our voices and power to shed light on the real issues going on in our world. Can we use social media as a tool to spread knowledge and awareness, instead of revenge and petty grievances?
That would be great, thanks!
