Kanye West is really mad at Jay-Z for making fun of his mental health

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visits the Wimbledon Tennis Championships

I realize that the Jay-Z/Kanye West story might be a legitimate fight, feud or beef, but surely it occurs to people that it’s very possible that Jay and Yeezy are actually sort of fine? Like, Jay might be trashing people in his new album but he gave them a heads-up and everyone involved is like “sure, make that money, Jay.” It just seems like Jay-Z and Kanye are not really “above” publicly milking some kind of conflict for record sales, downloads and/or publicity. In any case, the beef – real or procured – continues unabated. In the past week, Jay’s album dropped and he seemed to call out Kanye for being mentally ill and for taking a $20 million loan from Jay. Kanye in turn made noise about pulling out of Tidal, claiming that Tidal hasn’t been paying him what he’s owed. So, what now? Team Yeezy sources went to TMZ to talk about how Kanye is really mad that Jay decided to diss Kanye because of his mental illness.

Jay Z’s attack against Kanye West on 4:44 has nothing to do with Kanye bailing from Tidal … it’s all about Kanye’s concert rant … and Jay clearly does not think Kanye’s mental condition at the time was an excuse. Sources connected to the 2 moguls tell us Jay was enraged when Kanye went on stage November 19th in Sacramento and first went after Beyonce with thoughts that were difficult to understand and then calling out Jay for shutting him out of his life.

As one Kanye source put it, “Kanye was days away from going to a psych ward with some really serious mental issues. We get why he [Jay] was upset, but give Kanye a break.” We’re told Kanye had no idea Jay would go after him on 4:44 and when he heard it he was “shocked.” Jay’s new album contains the lyrics, “I know people backstab you I felt bad too. But this f*** everybody attitude ain’t natural. But you ain’t a saint, this ain’t kumbaye. But you got hurt because you did cool by ‘Ye. You gave him $20 million without blinkin’. He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f*** was he thinking’? f*** wrong with everybody is what you sayin’. But if everybody’s crazy, you’re the one that’s insane.”

[From TMZ]

Which… I kind of agree with. Even though I said that we should keep an open mind about whether Jay and Kanye are in cahoots, if Jay didn’t give Ye a heads up, then Jay was kind of off-side for trashing a guy who legitimately had to be hospitalized because he was in the midst of a nervous breakdown. As for that $20 million loan? Team Yeezy says it wasn’t a loan.

The $20 million Jay-Z fronted Kanye West was NOT a gift — as Jay insinuated on his album 4:44 — it was all part of Jay’s deal with ‘Ye. Sources with direct knowledge of Jay and Kanye’s business relationship tell TMZ, the $20 million was an advance from Roc Nation to cover expenses — including the floating stage — for Kanye’s “Saint Pablo Tour.” The money covered various production costs and staff.

It’s actually standard for artists at Kanye’s level to get such an advance. It’s part of the deal. Jay certainly made it sound like he and Roc Nation gifted Kanye the dough. In the song, “Kill Jay Z” Jay raps … “But you got hurt because you did cool by ‘Ye // You gave him 20 million without blinkin’ // He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f*** was he thinkin’? // ‘F*** wrong with everybody?’ is what you sayin’ // But if everybody’s crazy, you’re the one that’s insane.”

We broke the story … Kanye bailed on Jay-Z’s streaming service, Tidal, over a money dispute. Kanye’s decision to leave had nothing to do with the $20 mil. He claims he’s owed unrelated millions for subscription bonuses and music video expenses. Jay has threatened to sue Kanye if he make an exclusive deal with another streaming service, but we’re told Kanye’s done with exclusive deals. Jay and ‘Ye were once like brothers, and they still are … Cain and Abel.

[From TMZ]

While I feel confident with making educated guesses about movie industry deals, I really don’t understand the financial arrangements with elite musical artists. Like, at all. The Kesha mess was confusing and frustrating on many levels, partly because I didn’t understand how she could still be forced contractually to work with Dr. Luke, and how she had lost so much money. What I’m saying is that the financial stuff behind the music industry is pretty sketchy. What I’m saying is that I don’t know if it’s reasonable to assume that Kanye would have expected $20 million for his tour, or if that money would have to be paid back or whatever. I just don’t know.

Photos courtesy of PCN and Getty.

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75 Responses to “Kanye West is really mad at Jay-Z for making fun of his mental health”

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  1. poop says:

    I have lost all respect for Jay, so take this with a grain of salt.

  2. Nicole says:

    Please stop using mental illness as an excuse to be an asshole. Mental illness does not force you to be horrible to people. Also remember Kanye was doing this long before his breakdown.
    Rap is built on beef so frankly I’m not surprised he came for Kanye. He came for his wife and by all gossip accounts Kimye are obsessed with Bey and Jay. 4:44 is pretty great and some of Jay’s best. It’s also more than this stupid beef

    • Maria F. says:

      I totally agree. Maybe Kanye’s environment should have prevented him from performing in such a state, but of course, he is their cash cow.

      But even if he was not feeling well, Jay Z has the right to be offended by what was said.

      At the end of the day, i believe this is all about controversy and selling records. Everybody has been focused on that line since the album dropped.

    • Renee2 says:

      Okay,
      Deriding people’s mental health issues is sh*tty and I don’t condone it. But I don’t understand why people are acting shocked at Jay-Z, as though he were of such staunch moral fiber before. The guy is smart, successful, and can be funny but he is also a mercenary, deeply misogynist, and frankly, more than a bit sleazy. I mean, people have heard his rhymes about women, right? Not to mention his profligate use of the nword. Dude is hardly PC.

      Kanye is also a douche. Again, how many times has he been offensive. This is another misogynist, and one who has used homophobic slurs in his rhymes although he professes to be queer positive. We’re supposed to forget all that because we now deem him to have mental health issues??? As Nicole stated, we should not give him a pass just because he is not well, dude is an *sshole, plain and simple.

      • Nicole says:

        Exactly. People act like having a mental illness is a magic wand that makes people forgive and forget what you did easily. That’s not how that works. It doesn’t erase why you did or how people felt because of your actions. I tell clients this all the time. You cannot control how people react to you. Being mentally ill may give them a framework for more understanding but again it does not erase the action.
        And Kanye was an ass before this. So yep.

      • Dem says:

        “he is also a mercenary, deeply misogynist, and frankly, more than a bit sleazy. I mean, people have heard his rhymes about women, right?” Jay Zs lyrics on women are actually among the least misogynist of the genre. Two weeks ago we had an Eminem post and not only was there no mention of his violent lyrics against women, it was filled with “he is so cute” comments. And my post on his lyrics some of which threaten a specific woman by name were moderated out. But here we are, the instant the subject is a black dude…. Its “dude is hardly PC”.

        “Not to mention his profligate use of the nword”…..lmao As if the N-er word was not already on the tips of white tongues. Yes’ its the song about black people in Paris and not white peoples unadulterated hate thats the problem. Those black people who dont wish to reclaim ithe word are entitled to that opinion and should just not use it. I stand firmly and proudly in the reclaim camp. This site reclaims “bitchy”, gay people reclaim the F word and Its not your business that black men and women have reclaimed the N word.

      • Renee2 says:

        @DEM,

        I can’t tell if you are trolling (I think you probably are) or not but here goes:

        1) The point that I was making was that BOTH Jay-Z and Kanye have used problematic language so we shouldn’t be shocked if that Jay is being insensitive in this instance, nor should we necessarily be sympathetic to Ye in this instance because he has a history or being an insensitive clod too.

        2) I can’t comment on the Eminem thread as I am also not here for that trick for numerous reasons, including his misogyny, so uh, nice try

        3) Though I wasn’t critiquing Jay’s use of the nword, but rather was saying that his use of it demonstrates that he does not subscribe to notions of what is considered to be acceptable, I am also not here for that term. It is ugly, it is violent, and I don’t think that it’s something that Black people need to reclaim. I don’t know how you got that I was not Black from my comments but I am so you can step off with telling how I should feel about.

      • Erinn says:

        Dem –

        I know Em has been called out plenty on this site. He hasn’t gotten a big magical pass by any means. I don’t actually think I saw the recent Em post – and I’ve been on this site for like 5 years or more. Some posts slip through the cracks, or people are busy, or whatever. Personally I think Em is incredibly talented – but also someone who grew up with a really f—ed up life. It doesn’t excuse his behavior as an adult, but I also don’t look at him and think “he had every chance, and a healthy relationship with women, why is he talking this shit”. He was a mess, he’s gotten a lot better about certain things, but the Slim persona is played up so much, and a lot of awful things are said across so many categories. I tend to think of Jay similarly. He got dealt a sh-t hand growing up – he pulled himself up, but unfortunately his lyrics still are incredibly problematic at times. He’s still incredibly talented, and I don’t think his lyrics are an exact display of who he is as a person. I think most artists exaggerate like crazy and try to keep a persona kind of separate from their real life, but it doesn’t mean that it’s ‘okay’ that they say the things they do. I’m not writing him off as a person because of it though. As long as there is growth happening – that’s great. But if they suddenly devolve into a much worse place, then I’m going to have to stop supporting them as artists.

      • Konfused says:

        @Renee2
        whether you are black or not is irrelevant when you say “I don’t think that it’s something that Black people need to reclaim”..you should step off on telling other people how you feel about their use of the N-word it really doesn’t matter if you approve of it or not

      • sanders says:

        Nicole, from previous posts including this one, it sounds like you are a therapist. I’m surprised you are minimizing JayZ use of words crazy and insane to describe someone with a mental illness.
        Of course people with a mental illness have to examine their behaviours and coping strategies etc, though in the midst of a breakdown, self awareness takes a back seat. Lets also hold JayZ responsible for his mocking of people with mental health issues and I encourage you to check out the excellent comments from Claire down below.

      • Renee2 says:

        @ KONFUSED

        Why should I step off telling a poster how I feel about the word when said poster is putting words in my mouth and twisting what I wrote? And again, the reason that I mentioned my racial identity was because the poster stated that I wasn’t in a position to comment on Jay Z’s use of the nword because they assumed I was not Black. Everyone comes here to offer an opinion and get on our respective soapboxes so GTFO with telling me not to share my thoughts on a topic.

      • Bridget says:

        @Konfused – you’re coming off like you don’t actually have something to say and just want to be mean to someone to make yourself feel better.

      • Renee2 says:

        @KONFUSED

        Yep, that’s me, the proverbial angry Black woman, lol. Hope it’s not too damp where you’re stationed under the bridge.

        @ Bridget,

        Thank you!! 🙂

    • idontknowyouyoudontknowme says:

      Well, for example borderline disorder and what is perceived as “a-holeish behavior” kindof come hand in hand

      • Ronaldinhio says:

        Whilst you are all saying mental ill health doesn’t give you a pass I’m gonna have to stop ya
        Many of the behaviours that West exhibited could be signs of a growing mania and paranoia that could present or exist co morbidly with and anxiety disorder or depressive illness. As reported he may have bi polar disorder which might not have been accurately medicated. All or none of these things may have been his actual disorder and all may have been exacerbated by lack of sleep and over work.

        His grandiosity, rambling, hyper activity, sensitivity moving into paranoia psychosis or mania all sounds like it could be easily described by a mental health disorder.

        Ignoring the lack of control someone has during an episode of mental ill health or trying to blame them when they often have little control is poor form.

      • Llamas says:

        Sick. I have BPD and have never been described as an a**hole. People with BOD treat themselves the worst.

    • FLORC says:

      And being a jerk can be a sign of mental illness. You cannot know either way unless you are much much closer than a commenter here.
      Im reserving judgement. Kanye is outrageous a lot of the time and shows erratic behavior, but also has appeared to have experienced some incredibly traumatic events. That doesn’t get healed easily if ever.

  3. aloejuice says:

    jay is just a former drug dealer. There is always something so dark and fake about the fireworks he and beyonce stage.

    • tmot says:

      What do you think about the “Jay groomed Beyonce” theory? That he met her when she was 15 (and he nearly twice that) became her “mentor” and dated her the moment she was legal, but was cheating on her the whole time, etc…?

    • Izzie the other says:

      Isn’t the key word “former”? Yes, Jay Z still raps about drug dealing because it was part of the most integral part of his youth, but why is that used as a weapon against him? I grew up in an environment where drug dealing was pretty much expected of men in the neighborhood. No, I never approved of it but for many, the choices were so limited. Jay Z grew up in a place where being black and poor automatically put you on the bottom of this list. Him and many others like him turned to dealing because getting a job at McDonald’s just wouldn’t cut it and going to college seemed just as possible as going to Mars.

      I take very high offense to the language used to describe Jay Z by some of the commenters of this site on the last few days. In times like these, when the black community is in crisis mode, what does it say about us when a former drug dealer who came from nothing to become one of the most successful men in pop culture is still subjected to harsh stereotypes and classism? Is he not allowed to grow or change?

      I’m not saying Jay Z is an angel… far from it. And while he may not be a source of inspiration to anyone here he is to so many I know. There are so many young men and women who don’t have anyone in popular media to look up to; someone that knows where they come from and the struggles they face. Jay Z is that person for some.

      I am not trying discredit any valid criticism of Jay Z on this site, just simply presenting an alternative view.

      • Nyawira says:

        Why is Jay Z still refered to as a drug dealer 30 years after he last sold drugs? Why would a kid who grows up extremely poor in drug infested projects and is recruited to sell before his voice even drops still held to that past? Because he is a black man, stupid. Notice how Winona Ryder doesn’t get comments reminding us that as a grown woman and a millionaire, she walked into a store and stole clothes she didn’t need? That’s because she was fragile and made a mistake, see. A young black boy trying to get his family out of Marcy is not fragile or making a mistake, he is a “thug”. And thugs are unforgivable.

      • ParlerBleu says:

        Preach. White supremacy makes people see the sins of Black folks as evidence of moral corruption, but white people can make difficult life choices in impossible circumstances, and people never fail to empathize with them.

      • anon says:

        Jay Z is judged for his drug dealing behavior, because he has admitted he did not grow up poor and didn’t need to drug deal to survive. He did it because it was easy money. Judging a poor man with no family support for drug dealing is a lot different than someone do it for kicks.

    • HK9 says:

      He didn’t stay one though, and he’s gone one to be successful and do other things. He’s not a saint but neither is anyone else.

    • aloejuice says:

      I’ve dated drug dealers for everyone calling the race card. When I criticize his past, I’m saying there is something really cold and wrong that is a requirement to be a dealer. A successful dealer, one that rises up, one that f–kng knows how to manipulate the masses… That is scary. You pretty much have to have no morals to do what he does.

      • Izzie the other says:

        You’re over here trying to degrade drug dealers while claiming you’ve dated many and saying I’m playing the race card?? Sure Jan. In the words of the very drug dealer you care in here to disparage, ” We don’t believe you, you need more people…” -Jay Z

      • anon says:

        Agree.. specially since he did not need to deal drugs. His family was middle class.

      • LaBlah says:

        Something really cold and wrong is a requirement to deal drugs?!? WTAF are you on about?

  4. Clare says:

    Mental illness is not an excuse for being an asshole – and no doubt Kanye IS an asshole. BUT making fun of mental illness, and someone displaying clear signs of mental illness is not only majorly off-side but extremely cruel.

    Just because the guy he is mocking is an idiot doesn’t make his cruelty acceptable. Jay-Z is an asshole. No excuses. Done.

    • Kristen820 says:

      ^^This^^

    • HadToChangeMyName says:

      Agreed. And Jay could have called him out on his a-holery without using the words “crazy” and “insane.” He was clearly mocking his mental status. And then people wonder why getting treatment for mental illness is such a stigma in the black culture.

      • Goldie says:

        I agree that there’s no excuse for mocking mental illness, but I interpreted it as Jay calling himself insane. The song seems to be written as if Jay’s talking to himself. i.e. “You gave him 20 million”, meaning Jay gave him 20 million. “You’re the one who’s insane”, meaning Jay is the one who’s insane.

        I’m not a fan of either so I’ve got no dog in this fight.

      • HadToChangeMyName says:

        Goldie, I know what he’s speaking about himself. I’m talking about his choice of words. Jay is nothing if not deliberate in his word usage. He is a talented lyricist. By using crazy and insane, he was referencing Kanye. Just like his shade at the Future and Ciara situation, by saying “in the future, [other men] playing football with your son.”

        It was shade, plain and simple, based on Kanye’s mental illness. And that’s not right.

    • Jess says:

      Show me where he made fun of mental illness?

      Sheesh it’s as if some of you all no nothing of rap music.

      • Milo says:

        And he’s been using this same language for years. Off the dome I know the exact same words were used in his verse on Crazy in Love, but I could probably find examples in Reasonable Doubt as well.

  5. Disco Dancer says:

    I don’t feel sorry for this asshole or his wife. Lord knows they have said and done enough nasty things to other people: case in point: the music video where Kanye was lying around with naked dolls that looked like Amber Rose and Taylor Swift, in effect just reducing them to nothing but sex toys for Lameye’s pleasures. And then Kim
    Was laughing about it too. So this is karma and I don’t feel sorry that Jay Z is calling out Kanye for being a thieving, nasty, asshole.

    • Erica_V says:

      This. Kanye has 0 legs to stand on about what is OK or not OK to put into your lyrics.

  6. Talie says:

    I think it all fell apart when Kanye made his big deal with Jay-Z and then Jay and B refused to go to his wedding. Beginning of the end.

    • Ramona says:

      Kanye has always been signed with Jay Zs label and the Tidal deal came after the wedding as I recall. In any case, that wedding came on the heels of the elevator incident. Attending that wedding would have been troublesome on a number of fronts
      1) the rumored mistress was attending the wedding
      2) all eyes would have been on them at a wedding which as any married couple knows is a very difficult situation to have to hide marital strain
      3) the Kardashians and their mouthy friends would have been selling stories for weeks.
      4) Jay says on this new album that success changed Kanye. Its the verse with the school drop out mention. He was always corky but even we can see he lost perspective.
      5) I think J and B have always disapproved of Kim. I think they feel the K klan have exploited Kanyes grief and mental issues. This part is just my conjecture.

  7. RBC says:

    I hope Ryan Murphy is taking notes, this would make a great idea for a future Feud mini series.

  8. detritus says:

    I didn’t realize Jay got with Bey when she was so young. Someone did an excellent breakdown of timeline, and it sketchy.
    http://colyssa.tumblr.com/post/162557820409/a-recap?ref_url=http://jezebel.com/ajax/inset/iframe?id=tumblr-post-162557892433-calzonafan2014&autosize=1

    • bounce20 says:

      Yh he got with her realllyyyy young, this was her what second relationship. I will forever side eye jay z for that

    • kibbles says:

      Good timeline of this relationship. So many of these child stars are groomed and exploited by older men who act as mentors. Reminds me of Celine Dion and her deceased husband as well as Aaliyah and R. Kelly. These women were so young at the time they would not understand what it is like to be in a relationship with another man, which is why it is so easy to manipulate them. Especially when the manipulator is very powerful and established. Imagine associating love, money, career success, and pretty much everything that is important to you with one man. Practically all of these men cheat as well. Makes you wonder about all the drama and abuse that goes on behind the scenes that are masked by extreme wealth and staged photographs for Facebook and Instagram.

      • Aren says:

        It has made me happy to see Celine is dressing like a crazy teenager these days. Now her pedo-husband is gone, she deserves to enjoy her youth, no matter what age she is currently.
        As for Jay-Z, he’s disgusting and vile.

    • Otaku Fairy says:

      Someone on here the other day said he got with her when she was 19 (which would mean he had to have been 31 at the time.) If they had just met when she was 18 or 19 I’d automatically give it a pass, but the fact that they met when she was 15 does bring in the issue of ‘When did they first become romantically/sexually involved’. The fact that Celine Dion’s husband met her when she was 12 and he was 34 and got involved with her when she was 18 and he was 40 is even creepier.

  9. Louise177 says:

    It doesn’t seem like Kanye and Jay have been friends for years. So I disagree that this is a publicity stunt. I disagree about Jay going after Kanye’s mental illness but rappers always go after each other in lyrics. It’s not new.

  10. LAK says:

    Taking $20M for tour expenses tells me that Kanye is a bad businessman and clearly knows nothing ahout how the industry works if he thinks he can get away with taking that money from his record company or boss and think it won’t be recalled.

    Record companies are notorious for the bad, draconian contracts they give musicians. Every penny the record company spends is recalled from the artist end of the deal which is already slim pickings for the artist.

    Every musician eventually gets a harsh economic lesson in how these companies operate. Elite or obscure.

    The only exception remains Madonna and only because her original contract was peanuts + record company refusing to keep the usual real estate because they thought she was a waste of their time. She was instantly successful after signing that contract and able to make money from her own music. She’s been negotiating from a point of strength ever since. That was a lesson learnt for the industry and record companies make sure to give the same draconian contract even if they think you are a waste of time and money.

    • Bridget says:

      That is an expensive tour. Kanye could really use some editing, because even when he’s successful everything he does is so expensive to produce he just keeps digging his hole even deeper.

      • LAK says:

        Yep.

        …..but he is showy. He wants everything to be the biggest, brightest yadayada without paying any attention whatsoever to the economics of the situation.

        Frankly i am shocked that his previous tour brought in just $25M which i read somewhere. That’s peanuts for an artist of his calibre.

    • Tulip Garden says:

      I learned a lot about the inner workings of the music industry through Prince interviews and biographies. I was always a fan but I really came to admire him for his astute business sense. Also, I think he really tried to bring awareness to up and coming artists.

      • LAK says:

        I had a very educational 8mths working in the Business and legal affairs of a big record company. I couldn’t believe the stuff the record company gets away with and artists so eagerly sign upto.

  11. Mata says:

    . Kanye has ranted on stage for most of his career. He’s interrupted award shows more than once, he’s gone off script during a telethon, his lyrics have called people out, and his shows wouldn’t be the same without his stopping the music to spout his fury at someone. This time the target was Jay. We know now that he was having a mental health issue at that time, but I really don’t see his going off on Jay as indicative of that. It just seemed like Kanye being Kanye. Jay is as big an asshole as Kanye, but I doubt he saw Kanye’s rant on himself as anything out of the norm.

  12. B n A fn says:

    Imma going to put in my two cents in for giggles. Next time Kanye wants a loan he should go to his wife. Social media says she’s worth over $100m. Or he should go to to a bank so when he renegs on paying the loan back he will not get his feelings 😭. On a serious note, mental illness is not something to laugh about.

    Btw, I don’t know anything about their business. I read that KW treats people like crap if they are not in his pay grade. I have no idea if this is true or not, just saying.

  13. Sassback says:

    When Ye did that on stage, he was like days from having a psychiatric hold out on him as I recall. Mental illness is no excuse for bad behavior but it can be a cause and Kanye had been ducking up his shows for weeks by that point with his erratic behavior. Kanye has always been a bit emotional but he’s always been an excellent showman and entertainer so that run of the Pablo tour was obviously plagued by his issues-I feel for the guy.

    As for the 20 million, Roc Nation advanced that for the tour because they assume the tour would make it back and the tour had to be cancelled for Kanye’s hospitalization. I don’t think that makes Kanye a bad business man, it makes either Jay bad or good with money-but if Kanye had been mentally healthy, it’s possible that the money would have been recovered and the tour would have gone smoothly. His Yeezus national tour was the 2nd highest grossing tour in 2013 and it earned 25m, so maybe Jay was very confident in this album, particularly because it brought so many subscribers to Tidal.

    • Wilma says:

      Yes, I think we should give Kanye a pass for what he said on that stage just days before his hospitalisation. I really like Jay-Z, but I don’t like the way he’s using crazy and insane in this lyric. We really need to make sure mental illness loses it stigma and people won’t feel shame about getting help. This does not help.

      • Arpeggi says:

        I disagree, a mental breakdown is not a pass to be an a$$ and while it helps you understand where it comes from, it doesn’t make it less hurtful to those targeted by the rants/attacks. They are meant to hurt and it’s not acceptable.

        Now is it good to come back on those months after and in public? Not really, but this wouldn’t be rap music if beefs weren’t dealt with in songs

    • Muhammad says:

      TMZ’s story makes no sense. Kanye is signed to Def Jam, not Roc Nation. Why would Roc Nation front Kanye $20 million when he is not on their roster? Also, Roc Nation was not the tour promoter for The Saint Pablo tour. It was Live Nation.

      Roc Nation was by founded in 2008 by Jay Z and Live Nation. It’s a joint business venture between him and Live Nation to mainly fund his album’s, publishing, touring etc. Of course there is a a label, Rihanna is signed to it. But they’ve never been her tour promoter, either.

  14. BJ says:

    Kanye is a jerk who is also mentally ill just like Donald Trump is a jerk who is also mentally ill,IMO.

  15. Babs says:

    “Kanye sources”? Yeah right. I want to hear from Kanye directly. I want a capslock rant. I’m worried, no kidding.

  16. Kayleigh says:

    “It just seems like Jay-Z and Kanye are not really “above” publicly milking some kind of conflict for record sales, downloads and/or publicity.”

    You don’t say…

  17. me says:

    Isn’t Kanye just getting a taste of his own medicine? He does this to other artists all the time. To be honest though, we all know the “TMZ sources” are Kim and her Krew. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is all fabricated for sales and pr.

  18. Rochelle says:

    Tours are heavily insured so if Kanye was hospitalized, and cancelled out on the rest of his performances, that money would have been recovered from the insurance company.

    • Anni says:

      Yeah, wasn’t there a story about that? I remember seeing something about how much the insurance company was going to have to pay out, and there was a lot of chatter about whether what was going on with Kanye was going to qualify for insurance to pay or not….then the story went away and I don’t remember what happened.

      Wonder how that affected those insurance premiums………

  19. jugil1 says:

    Just curious why this site says Jay should give Kanye a pass for his comments due to his mental illness issues but didn’t call out Katy Perry for her insensitive comments regarding Britney Spears’ mental illness???? It seems hypocritical at best.

    Did Kanye apologize to Jay for the comments he made on stage last November? I can understand that mental issues could have been the cause. Ok but that was almost 9 months ago. Has Kanye since apologized to Beyoncé or Jay? I would bet my life the answer is = NO. Therefore, Jay has a right to be upset & comment about it nearly 9 months later.

    Again, Katy Perry makes comments about Britney Spears’ mental illness & all this site can do is give her praise because she has a beef with Taylor Swift. I don’t get it……

    • Lady D says:

      Ya, you must have missed all the comments slamming Katy for her actions, mine included. I saw one or two defending her tasteless actions and words but most of us aren’t down with that ish.

      • jugil1 says:

        Lady D, I realize that commenters slammed Katy for her tasteless comments against Britney Spears & agreed with them. I’m saying that THIS SITE in particular did not. As in, the writers of this site never took issue with Katy but seemed to take issue with Jay Z. Sorry if I wasn’t clearer on what I meant.

  20. mogul says:

    Thisn’t the first time that Kanye ranted publicly about Jay-z during a concert or in his albums. He even said that Damon Dash was right about Jay-z, about the fact that Jay-z will put business before friendship. Even though, Damon also said that Kanye wasn’t loyal and Jay-z didn’t want to sign him to his label as an artist and that it was Damon who insisted. He signed Kanye and Jay-z ignored Kanye as an artist, because Jay-z didn’t think that Kanye was stable. Kanye even chose to stick with Jay-z when Damon left Rocnation, to proof to Jay-z that he was worthy but he always throws a tantrum if he feels that Jay-z isn’t being attentive enough towards him.

    When Jay-z and Kanye did their Wath the throne tour, Jay-z apparently thought that Kanye wanted to spent too much money on special effects for the shows. Jay-z didn’t think it was a lucrative business move to loan that amount of money from Livenation, because he thought that they’ll gain little to no profit from their tour. Apparently, Kanye loaned a sum by himself to get his special effects but Jay-z has always told Kanye to simplify his tours because rappers don’t need to have extravagant shows to please their audience. Kanye’s tours have been costly and rumors are that he faked his exhaustion because his shows weren’t bringing enough profit and would have put him in more debts with Livenation. So he claimed sick to get the insurance money to cover the expenses, a la Kardashian.

    This rant was different because Kanye brought Jay-z wife and child into it. Even after that Jay-z didn’t replicate by using the same tactics of citing Kanye’s wife or children, he went after his personal grievance that he has with Kanye. Kanye’s money issues, disillusion of grandeur and always blaming others for things not working out like wants so he belittle those people and so Jay-z is telling him to look at himself before injuring others. Beyonce met Kanye through Jay-z so if her man is keeping his distance, so will she.

    Every one of Kanye’s friends have discussed Kanye mental health publicly and the fact that he’s not following his treatment. How they feel uncomfortable to be around him, in all his disillusion and that they’re taking their distance. They also have mentioned how fame changed him and how he’s not the same guy, this is coming from friends who have known him since Chicago. He blames the fact of losing his friends,on the fact his marriage to a Kardashian, but it’s his disillusion of grandeur that is costing him friends.
    The Carters have publicly shown their respect to his marriage, he even brought his family for a visit after his rant. I don’t know what the reason of the feud is, but I think that Jay-z doesn’t appreciate Kanye’s takedown of Tidal. Jay-z wants to be taken seriously as business man and to be criticized by someone who the world sees as your friend. It demeans that status and shows that he can’t trust Kanye.

  21. Amelie says:

    I’m not sure why people are surprised Jay-Z went after Kanye. Kanye has had multiple outbursts during his concerts about multiple subjects, even WAY before his mental breakdown last fall. This site used to cover those outbursts and act like they were SO entertaining–they were not, they were clearly a symptom of something more troubling going on. Kanye should have gotten help a long time ago (if he hadn’t had already). I get he was in a fragile state of mind with Kim’s robbery in Paris but that does not excuse him calling out Jay-Z in public and ranting randomly about Beyonce.

    I actually know someone like Kanye–incredibly overly sensitive, feeling victimized by the slightest comment, emotionally stunted at the age of a pre-teen. You feel like you have to walk on egg shells around these people because you have no idea what might set them off and they are exhausting to be around. I eventually had to cut my friend off–I didn’t say anything to her, I just stopped responding to her texts, e-mails, voicemails, and Facebook messages (literally every time she communicated with me, she would send me the same message via all those channels). Jay-Z most likely cut off Kanye for the same reasons and he is allowed to defend himself against Kanye’s twisted version of events.

    Being mentally ill is not an excuse for acting like an idiot. I eventually gave up on my friend because her mentality was so warped she was unable to act like an adult. I see the same thing in Kanye.

    • jugil1 says:

      +1

    • detritus says:

      You shouldn’t ghost people. Itt’s immature and rude, and honestly, it’s cowardly. even if your friend was ill, unless she was a danger to you, that wasn’t cool

      • Amelie says:

        I didn’t “ghost” her. I just decided for my own well-being I could no longer spend time with her and limited my communication. I could provide several examples of her erratic behavior (canceling plans at the last minute, her illogical thought process involving anything like inviting random people she met just once to get togethers which is dangerous when you think about it), there’s only so much you can take. My mental well-being is important and I couldn’t help my friend. I had to let her go.

      • LaBlah says:

        Not everyone deserves an explanation of why you’re distancing Yousef from them and with other people you just drift apart and there’s no need to have some deep conversations about those differences.

  22. Tanya says:

    Kanye’s getting a taste of the energy he puts out. Save your capes for someone else. If he borrowed the money, pay the funds back and stop pretending you have more resources than you have.

    I live with mental illness. But, if I’m being a jerk, I do not get a pass nor should I ever. Do not use mental illness as a means of assholery or as a means to not call someone an ass.

  23. Mylene - Montreal says:

    .. and so Kanye will answer on his next album. Rap world. I suffer from Mental health and i think jay is right because Kanye mess with so much people during a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnng time. YOU CAN EXCUSE EVERYTHING WITH MENTAL HEALTH.

  24. Otaku Fairy says:

    I don’t really feel all that sorry for Kanye in this situation because of his own track record of pulling stunts like this. They’ll both probably use this for publicity just like a lot of other celebrities who use drama with other celebrities that way.