These are the facts: in a GQ interview last month, Kim dropped a bombshell condemning Taylor Swift, who denied approving lyrics in Kanye’s song “Famous” which referenced her:
“I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I made that b**ch famous.”
She said that not only did Taylor approve the lyrics, but that she and Kanye have a recorded phone conversation which proves it.
Kim’s claim seems to go against Taylor’s official statements made when the song was released. After Kanye released Famous, a representative of Swift had this to say:
“Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that bitch famous.’”
This statement doesn’t deny that Taylor spoke with Kanye about the song before its release. It does not say that Taylor didn’t approve at least some of the lyrics. It makes a claim that Taylor took offense to one specific line, “I made that b**ch famous,” which she had not approved.
Last night, Kim released a series of videos on her personal snapchat which show 10 second soundbites clearly taken from the phone conversation between Taylor and Kanye.
This should be enough to show that Taylor knew all along, right? Wrong.
If Kim’s intentions were honest — if she was actually trying to clear her husband’s name — why would she have chosen a format which insists on awkward chops of 10 seconds?
If her intentions were to catch Taylor in a lie, to show that Taylor knew exactly what the lyrics were and was okay with them, Kim should have released this as a normal video. No cuts. No edits.
Instead, she chose to use it as a chance to gain snapchat followers. Not off to a great start. Let’s get into it, shall we? I’ve included the snaps in the order they appear. If one snap started where another finished (which proves they came sequentially in order), I’ve grouped them together.
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Snap 1.
Kanye: “For all my south side n***as that know me best / I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex.”
We KNOW Kanye said at least this lyric into the phone. It seems highly plausible that Taylor was on the other line while he was speaking, but we don’t even know that for sure as we cut away to a new snap before we hear Taylor say anything. Notice this is the only line shown in the snaps. We have no idea if he told her he was thinking of using the “I made that b**ch famous” line.
Snap 2+3.
Taylor: I’m like this close to overexposure.
Kanye: Oh, well this one, I think this is a really cool thing to happen.
—
Taylor: I know, I mean it’s like a compliment kind of.
Taylor had reservations. She was not 100% all in; she had to be convinced. This is important. Kimye most likely chose to include it because it showed Taylor being a business woman. She is thinking about her public image. Again, it’s implied that this exchange happened right after Taylor heard the lyric above. We have no way of knowing if that’s true. If this is the closest Kim and Kanye could get to a soundbite of Taylor approving the song, it’s pretty pitiful. It’s like a compliment kind of? I see approval sandwiched between two phrases which imply hesitation. But hey, maybe that’s just me.
Snap 4.
Kanye: What I give a f–k about is just you as a person and as a friend, I want…
Taylor: That’s sweet.
Kanye: …things that make you feel good. I don’t want to do rap that makes people feel bad.
This seems like the most shady of all of the edits. Nothing about the start of this snap suggests it came after Taylor gave her lukewarm approval. It paints Kanye as the saint, as even Taylor makes clear that she is impressed that he came to her to get lyrics approved.
Snap 5.
Taylor: Um, yeah, I mean, go with whatever line you think is better. It’s obviously very tongue-in-cheek either way.
This is crucial. This seems to be the most damning evidence that Kim and Kanye have on Taylor. She gave him the go-ahead to use whatever line. What this implies to me is that Taylor approved of any of the lyrics Kanye said to her in the phone call. What we don’t know is what lines Taylor heard besides the one shown in the first snap. What’s crucial is we still don’t know if Taylor has heard “I made that b**ch famous.”
Snap 6+7.
Taylor: And I really appreciate you telling me about it, that’s really nice.
Kanye: Oh, yeah, I felt like I just had a responsibility to you as a friend, and uh, I mean…
—
Kanye: I mean, thanks for being, like, so cool about it.
Taylor: Aw, thanks. Um, yeah, I really appreciate it. Like the heads up is so nice.
Again, Kanye repeats “as a friend” and shows more of Taylor offering her approval and her sincere thanks for giving her the heads up. We still don’t know what Taylor approved! It seems so shady to share all of this without mentioning the one line that Taylor took offense to.
Snap 8.
Taylor: “… things without, like, even asking or seeing if I’d be OK with it. And I just really appreciate it. I never would’ve expect you to tell me about a line in your song.”
From context and tone of voice, it seems plausible that snap 8 came shortly after snaps 6+7 in the timeline, but it starts in the middle of her sentence. That’s what happens when you’re stuck working with 10 seconds at a time. If only there was a way to show one continuous video. Hmm….
Snap 9.
Kanye: “…it was pretty crazy.”
Taylor: “And then the flowers that you sent me, I, like, Instagrammed a picture of them and it’s the most Instagram likes I’ve ever gotten. It was like 2.7.”
Taylor’s grateful. She’s showing that she appreciates using Kanye to get ahead; however, she’s doing it in a deeply respectful way. Yes this shows that she cares about Instagram likes, but it also shows that she appreciates what others do for her. Also, WHAT was pretty crazy, Kanye? Your shady taping of private phone conversations?
Snap 10.
Kanye: “Relationships are more important than punchlines, you know.”
Feels completely out of context. Also feels like such a spot-on, relevant line. Almost as if he was arming himself against becoming a punchline by recording this video.
Snap 11.
Taylor: “Yeah. I mean, I don’t think anybody would listen to that and be like, ‘Oh, that’s a real, that’s a real diss, like, she must be crying about …’”
This suggests that at least one of the lines was fully approved by Taylor. But it doesn’t even prove that. For all we know, Kanye had just read Taylor another line which he wanted her opinion on, one that he worried might offend a female celebrity he was referencing. What it doesn’t prove is that Taylor approved any one specific line.
Snap 12+13.
Taylor: “You gotta tell the story the way that it happened to you and the way you experienced it. Like you honestly didn’t know who I was before that.”
—
Taylor: “It doesn’t matter if I sold 7 million of that album before you did that, which is what happened. You didn’t know who I was before that. It’s fine.”
It’s clear that this is suggesting that she’s referring to “I made that b**ch famous.” Maybe Kanye was trying out a different line that didn’t include “that b**ch.” If he said “I made her famous,” Taylor’s quote shows that she understands he wrote this song based on the mindset he was in at the time, not how he feels now. She seems to be implying that she understands he respects her now more than he did at the time of the original VMA incident.
Snap 14+15+16.
Taylor: “I might be in debt, but I can make these things happen then I have the idea to do it and I create these things and concepts. And, like, I’m always gonna respect you.”
—
Taylor: “And I’m really glad that you have the respect to call me and tell me that as a friend, about the song and …”
—
Taylor: “It’s just like, it’s a really cool thing to do, and like, a really good show of friendship. So thank you.”
Kanye: “Oh, thank you, too.”
Taylor’s most likely talking about Kanye’s rags to riches story in Snap 14. Taylor has complete trust in Kanye now. He’s shown he cares about her as a friend by getting her approval on lyrics which in her eyes, goes above and beyond the call of duty. All this does is add context to why she would be so hurt if he changed the lyrics after he got her approval and blind-sided her.
Snap 17.
Taylor: “And, you know, if people ask me about it, I think it would be great for me to be like, ‘Look, he called me and told me the line before it came out. Like, joke’s on you guys, we’re fine.'”
This is something Kim specifically condemned Taylor for, and hearing this it makes sense. Taylor did say she was willing to be in on the joke. But what’s really important here is Taylor says “he told me the line.” The line. The single line. This suggests he gave her a few options for what he was trying out, but implied that there would only be one.
Snap 18.
Taylor: “You guys wanna call this a feud, you wanna call this throwing shade. But, you know, right after the song comes out I’m gonna be on a Grammy red carpet and they’re gonna ask me about it and I’m gonna be like, ‘He called me.’”
It seems odd that Taylor would go out of her way to say that she would be fighting those who plan to use this lyric as evidence of a feud if she was planning on turning right around and fanning the flames. Especially after she went into great detail to share how she appreciated their friendship and respected Kanye as an artist.
Snap 19.
Taylor: “…awesome that you’re so outspoken and they’re just gonna be like, ‘Yeah, she does, it made her famous!’ You know. It’s more provocative to say, ‘Might still have sex.’”
First of all, we have no context for what came before this. That’s crucial here. All we have here is further confirmation that she heard the lyric “might still have sex” but we knew that already. It seems likely she would have quoted the “made her famous” line word for word if that is in fact how it was phrased during their phone call.
Snap 20.
Taylor: “…it’s not. It’s not. It doesn’t matter to me. There’s not one that hurts my feelings and one that doesn’t.”
This is it—the final snap. It again implies that Kanye gave Taylor two lines he was choosing between. He wanted to know if she found one more offensive than the other. This is the last snap, and we still haven’t heard what the other lyric is that he was testing on her. I remain entirely unconvinced.
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Calling someone to get a lyric approved is by no means a noble effort, but it’s a common courtesy many wouldn’t even consider. But recording that call? Why record a call if not because you know you’re going to up the ante in the final cut? What a great way to give yourself a bit of added collateral in case referring to your good, openly feminist friend as “that b**ch” strikes a chord with her. After you take the time to call her, take the time to loop her into your intentions and make her feel a part of the process, she’s going to feel pretty blindsided and hurt when you make a last minute change.
Taylor has a huge spotlight on her. She has an army of adoring fans, yet just as many are looking for any excuse to tear her down. It’s a shame how many are going to take these snaps as fact, how many are going to watch the video or read the transcript and rush to condemn her without considering that snaps are easy to tamper with. There are two sides to every story. 
