The rapper, who goes by Ye, appeared to lash out at the singer on social media on Tuesday.
West shared a screenshot from The Daily Loud to his Instagram Stories. First posted to X, formerly
Twitter, the post declared that West had overtaken Swift on Spotify’s list of the most streamed
artists globally.
(L) Taylor Swift on October 11, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (R) Kanye West on October 28, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois. The pop star and rapper’s messy public feud lasted more than 10 years. MATT WINKELMEYER/ROBIN MARCHANT/GETTY IMAGES ENTERTAINMENT
However, the pair seemed to have buried the hatchet in recent years, until West’s Instagram Story reignited feud rumors earlier this week.
The 46-year-old soared to the top of Spotify, following the release of his new album Vultures 1 with singer Ty Dollar Sign on Friday. As of Wednesday, the duo were still number one worldwide, with Swift in second place.
However, West wasn’t the only icon to drop new music over the weekend. Beyoncé sent the Beyhive into a frenzy on Sunday, after teasing new tracks with her Verizon Super Bowl commercial.
The R&B singer later uploaded a teaser video to her Instagram account. Debuting her new song “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the 42-year-old hummed the country tune while driving past a billboard of herself in Texas.
Unhappy with West’s post about the pop star, one super fan urged fellow Swifties to buy and stream “Texas Hold ‘Em,” to keep the rapper from reaching number one.
“Beyoncé new single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ is challenging Kanye West for #1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100,” user Adri (@souvlore) posted to X on Wednesday.
“Let’s buy and stream Texas Hold ‘Em to block him from the top spot!!! Remember, he just dragged Taylor on his latest Instagram Story.”
“Carnival,” West’s debut single from Vultures 1, isn’t currently in the Billboard Top 100, although it is the most-streamed single on Spotify in the U.S. as of now. This is despite the album being removed from the platform on Wednesday following a legal dispute with the estate of late singer Donna Summer.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” is also yet to make the Billboard Top 100, but is currently in second place, just behind West, on the Spotify U.S. list.
West reposted Adri’s tweet to his Instagram account, writing a lengthy reply in the caption.
“When I said that I’m the new Jesus b**** I wasn’t even thinking about Taylor Swift,” the Grammy winner said, referencing a line from “Carnival.”
“This album is actually super positive and fun it’s all about triumphant.”
West said the last year was “incredibly challenging” for him, his wife Bianca Censori, his four children—whom he shares with ex-wife Kim Kardashian—and his friends and family.
The Yeezy founder faced fierce backlash following antisemitic remarks he made in 2022. West apologized for his comments in December 2023 but had already lost a lucrative deal with Adidas, knocking him off Forbes’ billionaire list and reducing his net worth to $400 million.
West also hit out at Spotify for removing Vultures 1, claiming it was an attempt to “limit our first week numbers.”
The fashion mogul claimed that he supported Swift during her royalties battle with record executive Scooter Braun. The pop star was embroiled in a public feud with the record executive, after his company purchased her former record label Big Machine in 2019, giving him ownership of Swift’s first six albums.
The music legends were involved in a messy feud for over a decade, beginning with the rapper interrupting the pop star during her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV VMAs.
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However, the pair seemed to have buried the hatchet in recent years, until West’s Instagram Story reignited feud rumors earlier this week.
The 46-year-old soared to the top of Spotify, following the release of his new album Vultures 1 with singer Ty Dollar Sign on Friday. As of Wednesday, the duo were still number one worldwide, with Swift in second place.
However, West wasn’t the only icon to drop new music over the weekend. Beyoncé sent the Beyhive into a frenzy on Sunday, after teasing new tracks with her Verizon Super Bowl commercial.
The R&B singer later uploaded a teaser video to her Instagram account. Debuting her new song “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the 42-year-old hummed the country tune while driving past a billboard of herself in Texas.
Unhappy with West’s post about the pop star, one super fan urged fellow Swifties to buy and stream “Texas Hold ‘Em,” to keep the rapper from reaching number one.
“Beyoncé new single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ is challenging Kanye West for #1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100,” user Adri (@souvlore) posted to X on Wednesday.
“Let’s buy and stream Texas Hold ‘Em to block him from the top spot!!! Remember, he just dragged Taylor on his latest Instagram Story.”
“Carnival,” West’s debut single from Vultures 1, isn’t currently in the Billboard Top 100, although it is the most-streamed single on Spotify in the U.S. as of now. This is despite the album being removed from the platform on Wednesday following a legal dispute with the estate of late singer Donna Summer.
West reposted Adri’s tweet to his Instagram account, writing a lengthy reply in the caption.
“When I said that I’m the new Jesus b**** I wasn’t even thinking about Taylor Swift,” the Grammy winner said, referencing a line from “Carnival.”
“This album is actually super positive and fun it’s all about triumphant.”
West said the last year was “incredibly challenging” for him, his wife Bianca Censori, his four children—whom he shares with ex-wife Kim Kardashian—and his friends and family.
The Yeezy founder faced fierce backlash following antisemitic remarks he made in 2022. West apologized for his comments in December 2023 but had already lost a lucrative deal with Adidas, knocking him off Forbes’ billionaire list and reducing his net worth to $400 million.
“I’ve been banned from hotels, kicked out of companies, and even not allowed to eat in some restaurants,” he wrote on Instagram.
West also hit out at Spotify for removing Vultures 1, claiming it was an attempt to “limit our first week numbers.”
The fashion mogul claimed that he supported Swift during her royalties battle with record executive Scooter Braun. The pop star was embroiled in a public feud with the record executive, after his company purchased her former record label Big Machine in 2019, giving him ownership of Swift’s first six albums.
Kanye West and Bianca Censori on May 13, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. West said it had been a tough year for him and model wife Bianca Censori. RACHPOOT/BAUER-GRIFFIN/GC IMAGES
“She and Beyoncé are big inspirations to all musicians,” West said. “We always say how both sell out tours and movies.
“Also, I’m sure I’ve also been far more helpful to Swift’s career than harmful.”
He told Swifties “I am not your enemy,” although he clarified that he is “not [their] friend” either.
West addressed rumors that he was thrown out of the Super Bowl on Sunday at Swift’s request, explaining that he left his seat to go sit in rapper YG’s box.
Concluding his post, West declared: “The media may control the narrative, but the people have spoken.”
Many of West’s 19.5 million Instagram followers praised his clapback, with DJ Diplo commenting: “Damn that was a positive message.”
“The most misunderstood individual in media today,” said Brock Jenkins.
“The media will misconstrue your words but your real fans will always stick by you,” wrote Eli Feldman, while Mrumun Targuma said: “They can’t cancel you.”
However, other users slammed the post, with @mangomuggle calling the rapper’s recent struggles “Karma.”
Madison Hund agreed, writing: “You’re mad you can’t go to restaurants or hotels… babes that’s no one’s fault but yours. your actions, your words. Don’t try and blame swifties for things you said and did.”
