Kanye West first became prominent after the release of his album The College Dropout in 2004, leading him to worldwide fame. The rapper and producer has earned 21 Grammys and become one of the most successful musicians in the world. Through his partnership with Adidas for Yeezy, his net worth had grown to $6.6 billion. Known for his outspoken personality, West is known to go off-script in public and become a focal point of criticism.
Through his public comments, talk show appearances, and social media feed, Kanye West has never hesitated to speak his mind, whether right or wrong. With the growing use of social media, the rapper uses his channels to share his thoughts with the public, which has often rubbed celebrities wrongfully. From storming the stage at the VMAs to ending his collaboration with Kid Cudi, let’s look at the A-listers who hate Kanye West.
10 Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s dislike for Kanye West dates back to the 2009 VMAs when he stormed the stage during her award acceptance speech and said Beyonce should have won the award instead. The duo buried the hatchet at the 2015 VMAs, but West’s track Famous featured lyrics that Taylor Swift disapproved of. She clapped back at West during her acceptance speech at the 2016 Grammy Awards.
9 Barack Obama
The former President of the United States did not shy away from showing his distaste toward Kanye West when asked about the rapper. In 2009, he was recorded calling West a jackass on a hot mic after the Taylor Swift incident at the VMAs. Three years later, he repeated the statement but also called him talented. While West claimed they had spoken, the former President made it clear that they had never met.
8 Pink
The 2009 VMAs incident hurt not only the President but also Pink, who was seated in the audience with the other surprised viewers. After the interrupted speech, when the show went on a commercial break, Pink walked up to Kanye West backstage and shouted at the rapper for interrupting Swift’s moment. She later stormed off, and West was asked to leave the event.
7 Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson and Kanye West’s interactions date back to 2018, when the singer appeared on SNL as a musical guest and ranted about his support for Donald Trump. Davidson mocked him for wearing the MAGA hat, but the pair made up and celebrated Kid Cudi’s birthday together a year later. Kanye publicly insulted and threatened Pete Davidson on multiple occasions after he began dating Kim Kardashian in late 2021.
6 Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey had a good relationship with Kanye West as she even performed her hits at his rehearsal dinner at the Palace of Versailles in 2014. But after West posted a selfie of himself wearing a MAGA hat, their relationship soured. Rey took Twitter to respond to call him delusional and narcissistic to compare him to Donald Trump.
5 Kelly Clarkson
Pink was not the only singer upset with the turn of events at the VMAs. While Pink confronted him in person, Kelly Clarkson went all guns blazing on her blog. The singer stated how much she disliked him despite loving everyone and pitied him as a sad human being. Clarkson also appreciated Beyonce for letting Taylor Swift have her moment after the former won an award.
4 Drake
During the early years of his career, Drake greatly admired Kanye West, calling him an influential figure in his life. They made several collaborations over a decade, and West even made appearances at OVO Fests. Their fight began in 2018 when Kanye released Ye, a few weeks before Drake’s Scorpion. Both went on various talk shows discussing their feud, and West even shared Drake’s address through his Twitter before deleting it.
3 Ray J
Known for the infamous sex tape he reportedly released of himself with Kim Kardashian, Ray J had never been on hostile terms with Kanye West before the marriage. During an episode of The Kardashians, it was revealed that West got the actual sex tape footage from Ray J, who took Instagram Live to rant that it was a fake publicity stunt.
2 Jay-Z
Once friends, Kanye West ignited a feud with Jay-Z when he spoke ill of the rapper and his family during his Saint Pablo Tour in 2016. It was reported that the fight was due to West forcing the Carters to hang out with Kim Kardashian. Additionally, West cut ties with Jay-Z-owned Tidal streaming service while the Carters did not attend the Kardashian-West wedding in 2014.
1 Kid Cudi
Kanye West has been friends and has worked with Kid Cudi since 2008. Their fight began when West was annoyed that Cudi was friends with Pete Davidson, who was dating Kim Kardashian. He even kicked off Cudi’s featured song from the upcoming album Donda 2. Cudi has announced that he won’t be working with West from now on.
Other notable celebrities who have had their feud with Kanye West include Shirley Manson, Evan Rachel Wood, Chris Brown, and Nick Wechsler. More recently, Kanye went on an Instagram posting spree when he took a jab at team Adidas for not offering him creative control for Yeezy and using his designs to sell other products.
Sources: Cosmopolitan, Complex, People, Buzzfeed News
