By Ryan Pike
Last weekend, The Great Kayne West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance of her mtv Video Music Award. The incident has been portrayed in the media as West’s ego getting the best of him, however, close inspection suggests otherwise.
West’s albums are made through two Universal Music subsidiaries, Roc-a-Fella Records and Island Def Jam Music. West also runs his own label, good Music, distributed by Sony Records. Taylor Swift’s albums are produced by Big Machine, another Universal sub-label, and Fearless is scheduled to be re-released next month. Beyonce, name-dropped by West as having “one of the best videos of all-time,” is on Sony’s Columbia Records. Beyonce is currently in the midst of her worldwide I Am… tour.
Finally, the Monday debut episode of the Jay Leno Show featured a sullen West apologizing for his behaviour and nearly breaking into tears in an impromtu interview following a musical performance. Leno’s prime-time debut was seen by 17.7 million viewers on nbc, a network owned by Universal. Tuesday’s ratings fell to 10 million, a sure sign of Kanye’s influence.
In short, rather than being an impulsive act by a publicity hound, Kanye The Great’s awards interruption was a calculated move by one of the most media-savvy celebrities in the world.
We’re still trying to figure out how the Freemasons are involved.