ANGELO ELIA
The backlash from Kanye West's now famous Taylor Swift interruption at the MTV music awards led to judgment from the world over.
Not only have the media and public pointed the finger at West, but also his fellow celebrities. Twitter played host to a number of these attacks, including posts from Pink – disrespectfully calling him “the biggest piece of **** on earth” – and The Hills star Heidi Montag. This is not the first time someone has stepped on stage at an awards show to speak during another's moment, nor is it the only time West has shocked us with his words. Regardless, it doesn't make him the horrible person he is being
painted as. When West won video of the year at the 2005 BET awards, he gave his award to the hip-hop duo OutKast, acknowledging their work over his own.
West is an acclaimed, talented and passionate artist who has worked with a variety of artists and has a deep understanding of the music industry. He was even called “the smartest man in pop music” by Time magazine in 2005 – and despite his sometimes questionable methods, he bases his opinions strictly on music content.
While some celebrities have jumped on the West-bashing bandwagon, Jay-Z recently appeared on
BBC radio, calling him a “super-passionate” artist. Though Jay-Z did say West's actions were not done at the right time, he criticized “… the way they're treating him. He's on the cover of every paper. He didn't kill anybody. No one got harmed.”
Countless others whose actions are also reported in the news — many that same week — saw a fraction, if any, of the criticism West received in comparison.
West's actions were rude and not well timed, but the hip-hop artist has since apologized five times to Taylor Swift – including twice on his official blog, once on the phone with Swift's mother right after the VMAs, again in a heartfelt interview with Jay Leno and finally on a personal call with Swift after her appearance on The View – which she accepted.
West has also proven himself to be a caring person in creating the Kanye West Foundation, which aims to decrease the student dropout rate in America through community programs and charitable events. West also created the Loop Dreams program, which offers students the opportunity to learn how to play music equipments while encouraging them to stay in school.
People make mistakes. At the end of the day, Kanye West is a talented and charitable individual whose recent actions pale in comparison to those of so many others. The attacks he has suffered since have more than made up for it.