Rapper Kanye West name-drops Taylor Swift – again – in new song Carnival

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US rapper Kanye West attends the WSJ Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at MOMA on November 6, 2019 in New York City. US rapper Kanye West apologized to the Jewish community on December 26, after a series of anti-Semitic comments that sparked outrage and led to the star being dropped from lucrative commercial deals and banned from social media.
The reason for the timing of the mea culpa was unclear -- West's most high profile outbursts came more than a year ago -- although his next album, "Vultures," is due out in two weeks. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

American rapper Kanye West also mentioned controversial figures such as American singer R. Kelly and American actor Bill Cosby.

PHOTO: AFP

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The bad blood between Kanye West and Taylor Swift continues, as the American rapper name-dropped the American pop superstar in his new song Carnival from Vultures 1, the album he released with American R&B singer Ty Dolla $ign on Feb 10.

In the track, West, 46, makes references to sex acts involving a woman, adding: “Like a ventriloquist/I made six Taylor Swift/Since I had the Rollie on the wrist.”

It remains unclear what he meant by those lyrics, but he also mentioned controversial figures such as American singer R. Kelly and American actor Bill Cosby, who have both been convicted of sexual assault. West also name-dropped American rapper Puff Daddy, who was accused of sexual assault in multiple lawsuits in 2023.

Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, took to social media to voice their frustrations, saying West is obsessed with Swift.

“Taylor Swift was his target twice. She has successfully moved on from both events and thrived. Meanwhile, Kanye feels the need to name-drop her every time he needs attention,” a Swiftie wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Another Swiftie commented that West “is still unironically thinking he made Taylor Swift famous”, adding that he is so desperate for attention.

West’s feud with Swift, 34, began in 2009 when he infamously interrupted her acceptance speech for Best Female Music Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards, declaring that the award should have gone to American diva Beyonce instead.

The duo’s rocky relationship took a turn for the worse in 2016, when West name-dropped Swift in his song Famous, which featured the line: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that b**** famous.”

Swift had reportedly expressed her dismay over the lyrics, but West and his then wife, American reality TV star Kim Kardashian, claimed Swift approved the lyrics and released a video on Snapchat – which was eventually proven to be edited – to make her look like a liar.

According to American entertainment platform TMZ, the trio never made up following the drama, as neither West nor Kardashian have apologised to Swift.

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