In 2016, Kanye West notably mentioned Taylor Swift in his song “Famous” from The Life of Pablo album.
Fast forward to today (December 6), and Swift, named TIME’s Person of the Year for 2023, is reflecting on that tumultuous chapter in her life. In an interview with TIME, she opened up about the impact of her feud with Kim Kardashian and West.
Swift revealed, “Make no mistake, my career was taken away from me. That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before.”
When “Famous” was released, Swift’s representative initially stated she was unaware of the specific lyric, “I made that b**ch famous.” Kardashian countered, claiming Swift approved the song’s content and allegedly released snippets of a recorded conversation between the two artists.
Swift characterized the incident as a “fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar.”
The ensuing backlash prompted Swift to withdraw from the public eye. “I moved to a foreign country. I didn’t leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls… I pushed away most people in my life because I didn’t trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard,” shared the singer.
The Life of Pablo made a notable debut, claiming the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart upon its release. This 20-track project featured collaborations with artists such as Rihanna, Young Thug, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown, and Ty Dolla Sign, and achieved platinum status for the third time in 2022.
In the same year, Swift released her highly anticipated album, Midnights. On the standout track “Vigilante S**t,” fans speculated that the pop star might be addressing Kanye West and his divorce from Kim Kardashian.
The lyrics include lines like, “Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride/ Picture me, thick as thieves with your ex-wife,” and “And she looks so pretty/ Driving in your Benz/ Lately, she’s been dressin’ for revenge.”
