Kanye: 'Come on, man, I love Beck. But....'
Kanye West may be the best thing that happened to Sunday night's Grammy Awards (as Scott Meslow argues), but he irritated a lot of people when he suggested that Beck is an inartistic hack who had no business beating Beyoncé for best record. On Monday, West clarified his remarks a bit, telling TMZ he wasn't saying Beck isn't an artist, but rather criticizing the Grammys organization.
He stood by his assertion that Beck didn't deserve the the top album Grammy, though. "Beck knows that Beyoncé should have won; you know that." And when the TMZ reporter asked if he'd heard of Beck before the award ceremony, Kanye verbally rolled his eyes: "Come on, man. I love Beck! But he didn't have the Album of the Year."
The respect is mutual, in a passive-aggressive Hollywood sort of way. After the Grammys, Beck agreed with Kanye that Beyoncé should have won ("Come on, she's Beyonce!") and even said he was "excited" that West charged the stage. As for Kanye's critique of his artistry, Beck shrugged: "You can't please everybody. I still love him and think he's genius.... I aspire to what he does. How many great records has he put out in the last five years, right?"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryFrom Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
France’s ‘red hands’ trial highlights alleged Russian disruption operationsUNDER THE RADAR Attacks on religious and cultural institutions around France have authorities worried about Moscow’s effort to sow chaos in one of Europe’s political centers
-
Codeword: October 30, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
