The moment that started it all. When Swift was awarded the moon man for Best Female Video for “You Belong with Me” in 2009, West climbed the stairs to interrupt Swift’s acceptance speech with the now-infamous proclamation, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!” Shortly after, a stunned Swift told reporters,
Swift performed “Innocent” off her album Speak Now at the 2010 MTV VMAs. The song is said to be about the rapper: “It’s all right / Just wait and see / Your string of lights is still bright to me / Who you are is not where you’ve been / You’re still an innocent / … It’s okay / Life is a tough crowd / 32 and still growing up now.”Following the backlash, the rapper took to Twitter, claiming that he had gotten permission from Swift to name-drop her following an hour-long phone conversation with the star.