No, really! Kanye West, who you may remember as the guy who got all upset in 2006 about Justice beating him out for one of MTV Europe’s video-related awards and then freaked out in 2007 when he didn’t win anything at the Vegas edition of the VMAs, only to come back this year to both ceremonies with new singles in tow, apparently went off on a tirade about the integrity of MTV’s various trophy-doling extravaganzas during a UK preview of 808s and Heartbreak earlier this week. The words that will shake your faith in fake awards ceremonies that are set up mainly for the purpose of propping up a lie that music is still important to a culture that thinks Heidi Montag is worth airtime after the jump.
Kanye had his rant at the launch of 808s & Heartbreak, his new album, before the first of his dazzling show at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday.
He said: “BRITNEY SPEARS over RIHANNA? Are you serious?
“I mean f****** JARED LETO? He’s my boy but he shouldn’t have won over some of those other artists.
“I won nothing last year and I’d brought out Stronger.
“Then this year, just because I was there, I won best urban act. This was L’IL WAYNE’s year.”
The best part of this story, aside from that errant apostrophe? A reference to MTV’s “academy” that decides the awards. Ahahahahaha.
I Kan not believe it [Sun]
I bet Kanye has never complained about his Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.
@Chris Molanphy: To be fair, MTV used to actually play videos, so you know, there was more to choose from.
@CapnCalamity: What’s even weirder? MTV2 used to play music videos too! Now, it’s a refuge for Beavis, Butthead, Jackass, Rob, Big, Ryan, Fitty, etc. Strictly He-Man-Woman-Haters-Club, apparently…
In this crowd, you’d think the great Sifl & Olly could get a little love…
my faith in the world is so shaken you guys. what’s next? the peoples’ choice awards aren’t decided by the people? THE WORLD MUSIC AWARDS MAY NOT BE ON THE UP AND UP???
it is such a sad day
I’ve wept hot, bitter tears.
Not over this, though.
It does take a classy guy to say “What the hell, I shouldn’t have won this award, it totally should go to this other dude.”
Eventually Kanye’s going to put out an album that doesn’t sell so well, earn him (fake) nomination nods, etc. and we’ll see him slide futher down that slippery slope of crazy. I can’t wait!
I mean come on, didn’t we all know the mtv awards fix was in when Johnny Depp kept showing up when he was winning awards for pirates? When was the last time Depp showed up and didn’t win?
When they can get the biggest of the big to show up for their ceremony they honor them.
The Oscars this is not.
No one will take me seriously when I say this, but I will agree with Kanye that the judgment of the VMA powers-that-be has gone downhill in the last decade.
I mean obviously there’s a cabal, but that cabal used to have better judgment.
In the ’80s-’90s I used to say all the time (when people pooh-poohed the VMAs as a racket) that not only was it a more entertaining awards show than virtually any other, but that the winners were surprisingly respectable. I mean, these are the guys who pissed off their own advertisers by giving VotY in 1989 to a Neil Young marketing-spoofing video they didn’t even play; who gave the 1990 award not to MC Hammer’s day-glo fest but to Sinéad O’Connor staring into the camera; and who gave vanguard awards to the likes of Mark Pellington and Mark Romanek before the rest of Hollywood recognized their talent.
But since 2000 or so, the show’s become both insipid and boring, and the winners have become either predictable, behind the times or both.
I agree with him. it’s not that is’ a groundbreaking revelation…but that a lot of fan believe this shit is for real.
Seriously.
@ObtuseIntolerant sees lots of work to do.: *it is shocking that a lot of fans*…OY. I am going back to bed.
@Chris Molanphy:
Well said. My favorite was this most recent VMA where they announced past winners of each award before announcing this years winner. “Previous winners of this award have been: Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Madonna & Nirvana. This years award goes to: *drum roll* Flo Rida!”
They did themselves a disservice by focusing attention on the comparison which clearly shows just how crappy the music they were rewarding was.