When we rang in 2016 a mere month ago, many were expecting the battle of the year to take place in many different arenas. Perhaps it would be on the silver screen with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Or in the NFL Playoffs with the final chapter of Brady vs. Manning. Or in the UFC’s Octagon for the guaranteed rematch of Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm. Many were not expecting it to occur in January 2016 when Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa traded barbs on Twitter for all to see. In order to properly explore the childlike actions of two famous rappers, we must start from the beginning…when Kanye West became the abomination of Obama’s nation.
Act 1: The History (2009-2016)
When it comes to famous musical moments in the 21st Century, few events come to mind like Taylor Swift being interrupted at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. It was here where Kanye West, bottle of Hennessey and girlfriend Amber Rose by his side throughout the night, decided to speak his mind one too many times and tarnish his brand more than he ever had before; despite previously calling out President George W. Bush on live television post-Hurricane Katrina and cosplaying as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone. However, after a public apology and a year of solitude, West came back bigger than ever with a bold new album, no girlfriend, and the same brash attitude.
In 2011, the connection between West and Wiz Khalifa, a young up-and-coming rapper, began to form when Khalifa began dating Yeezy’s ex, Amber Rose. In the subsequent years the new couple would get engaged, married, have a child together and get divorced. West on the other hand would begin a relationship with one of the most famous women on the planet, Kim Kardashian, and eventually become ½ of the most polarizing parents on the planet.
Image via E!
In early 2015, Rose and Kardashian’s sister, Khloe, got in their own Twitter feud and Kim became a victim by association. This led to West publicly disparaging his ex in a radio interview and saying, “It’s very hard for a woman to want to be with someone that’s with Amber Rose. I had to take 30 showers before I got with Kim.” Rose would use this, along with other misogynistic remarks, to become an advocate against “slut-shaming” and becoming a spokesperson for the feminist movement. Throughout the West-Rose battle, Kardashian and Khalifa stayed silent, but that would change in 2016.
Act 2: The Rant (1/27/2016)
Throughout West’s time on Twitter, he has been known to make thought provoking, grandiose statements, many of which are unintentionally hilarious. Despite what you may think of the man, he definitely knows how to grab people’s attention. And on January 26th 2016, what started as an attempt to reveal a new album title, ended on 1/27/16 in an epic tweet rant attacking his ex’s ex.
After West announced via Twitter that he changed the title to his 7th studio album to “Waves”, Khalifa took to Twitter to accuse West of stealing the term “wavy” from another rapper. After West tried to defuse the accusation Khalifa sent out the following tweet…
Photo via Twitter
West thinking it was a shot at his wife, whose initials are KK, unloaded like only he can…in a virulent barrage of tweets. West attacked Khalifa’s talent, his ex, and their child, while praising his own talent and, surprisingly, Wiz’s fashion sense while coining the odd hashtag, #WizWearsCoolPants. It was strange, abrasive, and exactly what you’d expect from a West rant. After Khalifa explained via Twitter that kk is a type of marijuana strand, West deleted the majority of the tweets he sent out, started praising his new nemesis, and preached the importance of positive energy.
Later that day, Rose took to Twitter to make comments about West’s lovemaking habits and the ballad of Kanye vs. Wiz went in a whole new direction. Rose’s very NSFW tweet generated close to 300k retweets and despite publicly commenting on Rose’s tweet two days later, West surprisingly showed restraint and did not go off on her.
Act 3: Damage Control (1/27/16-Present)
Once West realized that he went HAM on Wiz for unjustified reasons, he took to Twitter to spread love. He explained that the tweets were deleted to promote positive energy, love and blessings. He also said he’d never speak about someone’s kid again. Despite the complete 180-degree turn, Twitter had a ball joking about the entire situation. Writer/Actor David Schneider put up a video on Twitter of himself reading West’s rant as a Shakespearean actor. With “Waves” dropping on 2/11, we’ll have to see how his latest outburst effects album sales, but he’s certainly in the spotlight now, which is where he always wants to be.
Wiz has kept things relatively quiet since explaining that kk is weed and not Kim Kardashian. TMZ filmed him cursing off West at a concert on 1/27, but otherwise he’s moved on despite having lost “two million followers”, according to West, because of the rant.
Kardashian and Rose would soon become the most interesting example of reputation management during the aftermath. Kim Kardashian has somehow built a shockingly huge brand since getting in the spotlight for somewhat dubious reasons. As a businesswoman and parent, the last thing she needs right now is to watch this situation escalate. After previously staying silent while her husband attacked his ex and now her child, Kardashian took the high rode, and made a savvy PR move, by posting the following on Instagram.
Photo via Instagram
Rose would post the same photo herself and suddenly in the battle of Kanye West vs. Wiz Khalifa, the women in their lives became the victors.
Who do you think won in this Twitter Beef? And which famous fights on social media have you found to be the most entertaining to witness?