Taylor Swift has once again captured the music industry spotlight with her continued reign at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, blocking Kanye West’s latest album, “Vultures 2,” from reaching the top spot. She kept it there for the 14th week in a row with the album The Tortured Poets Department, outnumbering Kanye West’s collaborative effort with Ty Dolla $ign.
Taylor Swift Blocks Kanye West’s Album from Reaching No. 1 — Then Seemingly Renames Alleged Kim Kardashian Song for Him pic.twitter.com/rtHSbzVnJm
— People (@people) August 16, 2024
The dynamic of that competitive chart partly reignited public interest in the epic, long-standing Swift-West feud. Their notorious history goes way back to the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony when West horribly interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech, which then turned into a decade-long media saga. There were moments of reconciliation—like that time Swift presented West with an award at the 2015 Grammys—but things got tense again with the release of West’s song “Famous” in 2016, which included controversial lyrics about Swift.
Adding another layer of intrigue, Swift recently renamed one of her songs from “thanK you aIMee” to “thank You aimEe,” which many fans have perceived as a nod to West’s new name, “Ye.” This was interpreted to be something more playful in its acknowledgment of West’s stage name, but it also may refer to past scandals with Kim Kardashian.
With the record-breaking, sweeping Eras Tour, Swift proves a reign of power through music charts and creative rebuttals against industry rivals.
