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Rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye) surprised fans by playing Taylor Swift's popular track, Shake It Off from her 2014 album 1989, during a vacation in Maldives on New Year's Eve (December 31). West and Swift have shared a tumultuous and controversial relationship in the past.
A video clip from December 31, 2024, featuring Kanye West supposedly vibing to Taylor Swift's Shake It Off during a DJ set in Maldives has circulated online. West played Swift's song for a few seconds before switching to his own hit Carnivals from the album Vultures 1.
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The rapper was also spotted interacting with children around the DJ booth and grooving to other classics, including Bon Jovi's Living On A Prayer and an alternate version of Ain't No Mountain High.
Ye playing a Taylor Swift song has surprised fans online, given their controversial history. The rapper's allegedly difficult relationship with the singer began when he famously interrupted her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV VMAs. The two have allegedly taken digs at each other in their tracks over the years.
What happened between Taylor Swift and Kanye West? The duo's relationship explored
Kanye West and Taylor Swift's most popular public interaction came in September 2009 when Ye famously interrupted the singer during her acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs. In the event, Swift was awarded the Best Female Video for her track You Belong With Me. During her acceptance speech, Ye took the mic from her and said:
"Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time."
However, a day after the VMAs, Kanye West apologized to Taylor Swift during an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. In the same month, Swift claimed she was "rattled" by Ye's gesture on stage, and the rapper had not called her to apologize, as per Billboard.
Despite widespread speculation about their alleged beef for years, the two were spotted together during the Grammy Awards in February 2015. Ye and Swift were spotted and photographed shaking each other's hands and appeared to be interacting with each other.
In an August 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, Taylor Swift addressed her alleged beef with West and claimed that she would like to be "friends" with the rapper. During this interview, she also credited Jay-Z for their friendship.
“I became friends with Jay-Z, and I think it was important, for Jay-Z, for Kanye and I to get along. … And then Kanye and I both reached a place where he would say really nice things about my music and what I’ve accomplished, and I could ask him how his kid’s doing," Swift said.
In the 2015 VMAs, things appeared to have been resolved between Kanye West and Taylor Swift as the latter presented the rapper with the Video Vanguard Award. Swift appreciated West's contribution to the music industry on stage and jokingly recreated their infamous moment from the 2009 VMAs. Emulating Ye's words from the event, Swift said:
"So I guess I have to say to all the other winners tonight: I’m really happy for you, and I’mma let you finish, but Kanye West has had one of the greatest careers of all time!”
Taylor Swift and Kanye West's beef over the 2016 track Famous explained
Despite their friendly interaction, things allegedly went sour once again in February 2016 when West released his track, Famous, from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo. In the track, West mentioned Swift by name and called her a "bi*ch," garnering widespread controversy. Ye rapped:
“I feel like me and Taylor might still have s*x/ Why? I made that b—h famous.”
The lyrics led to a major controversy between Taylor Swift and Kanye West, especially after one of the singer's reps told Billboard that Ye had not asked for Swift's approval before releasing the track. The rep claimed that West had asked Swift to release the track on her social media, which the singer declined due to the song's alleged misogynistic message.
Things further went downhill when West's then-wife (now ex), Kim Kardashian, claimed that Taylor Swift had approved the lyrics in an in-depth interview with GQ in June 2016. In response, Swift's rep hit back at Kardashian once again in a statement to Billboard.
According to Taylor Swift (via her rep), she had never approved of the exact lyrics that Ye had used in his track. In other words, the singer was allegedly unaware of the use of the derogatory term "bi*ch" to refer to her. She had only spoken to Kanye West on a call where she declined to release Famous on her X (then Twitter) account.
In July 2016, Kim Kardashian also released alleged footage of her husband and Swift talking on the phone regarding the song. Swift publicly addressed the phone call on X and pointed out that the alleged footage did not include her approving the track or the word "bi*ch."
West and Swift's beef over the alleged phone call and the subsequent release of alleged video footage continued for years after that, with both maintaining the same stance. Fans have often speculated that certain songs from both artists' discography are allegedly digs or disses at each other. However, neither Taylor Swift nor Kanye West has confirmed such theories.
However, neither Taylor Swift nor Kanye West has confirmed such theories.
