Here at The Verge, we've spent a lot of time agonizing over the future of Twitter over the last few days. The company is leaking executives left and right; it's hard to use and confusing for people who aren't already power users; no one is sure how to right the ship. Our editor-in-chief Nilay Patel said it best yesterday afternoon: "So I think Twitter has a deep existential problem, which is that no one knows what Twitter is for, or how people should use it." That's a great question: what is Twitter for?
Here's an answer: Twitter is for people who love watching flagrant, petty, hilarious celebrity beef unfold. What's on today's menu? Kanye West changed the title of his album from SWISH to WAVES last night, a switch that inspired some tweeted shade from fellow rapper Wiz Khalifa; in one tweet, Khalifa wrote, "Hit this kk and become yourself," a seeming reference to West's wife Kim Kardashian. (Khalifa now says he was talking about a specific strain of weed.)
Hit this kk and become yourself.
— KOE (@wizkhalifa) January 27, 2016
KK is weed fool. Reason's why your not wavy. Go bacc to Swish. https://t.co/7OT4xiQa5V
— KOE (@wizkhalifa) January 27, 2016
Kanye's tweets about Amber Rose cross the line
That perceived slight was enough to set West off, and he's spent the last 30 minutes batting back at Wiz over the quality and authenticity of his music, his clothing choices, the mother of his child (model Amber Rose, who is also West's ex-girlfriend), and Wiz's cellphone number. (The tweets about Rose mark the point where the rant becomes a little unsavory.) If you just want the highlights, consider that Kanye has a) used the hashtag #wizwearscoolpants, b) promoted his wife's custom emoji line, c) claimed to own Khalifa's child, and d) repeatedly proclaimed himself the greatest artist of all time. (He's also getting a ton of free album promotion, and I tip my cap to him in that regard.)
Celebrity feuds might not be a sustainable endgame for Twitter as a platform, but you can't watch something this insane and delightful unfold in real time anywhere else. West's best bursts are embedded below:
Update January 27th 3:30PM ET: West has deleted the great majority of his tweets regarding Khalifa — all of the negative ones, basically — but their content is preserved in the embeds below. "I'ma take these down 'cause it's all about positive energy," writes West. "Blessings, blessings, positive energy, blessings." West is still tweeting, and relevant ones are being added as they're posted.
Oh niggas must think I’m not petty cause I’m the best that’s ever made music
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Like, oh that’s Ye and I can put his wife’s initials on my twitter @Wizkhalifa
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Bro first of all you stole your whole shit from Cudi
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Second, your first single was corny as fuck and most there after
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
work hard play hard pic.twitter.com/zp2P7FMtVp
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
You have distracted from my creative process
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
I went to look at your twitter and you were wearing cool pants
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
I screen grabbed those pants and sent it to my style team #Wizwearscoolpants
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
3rd no one I know has ever listened to one of your albums all the way through
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
4th you let a stripper trap you
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
5th I know you mad every time you look at your child that this girl got you for 18 years
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
6th don’t ever come out the side of your neck at me
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
7th I am your OG and I will be respected as such
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
8th I made it so we could wear tight jeans
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
9th me and Cudi created this shit
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
10th don’t you ever in your fucking life speak sideways about a nigga that’s fighting for us I do this for all of us
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
11th I showed you respect as a man when I met you
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
12th You wouldn’t have a child if it wasn’t for me
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
13th You own waves???? I own your child!!!!
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
14th Nigga it’s called creativity #youshouldtryitsomeday
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
15th Nigga I tried to call you and you changed your number
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
16th don’t even hint at mentioning me my family or my wife I am your OG
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
17th I think you dress cool I wish I was skinny and tall
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
maybe I couldn’t be skinny and tall but I’ll settle for being the greatest artist of all time as a consolation
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Don’t ever ever ever come out the side of your mutherfucking neck bro or bruh or however you say it Mr. Waves
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
I’m YE and I ain’t gotta say it the right way I’m Ye I’m Ye I’m Ye I’m Ye I’m Ye I’m Ye I’m Ye
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Thank you for the extra promotion #WAVES available February 11th
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
What’s sad is I love Wiz and I love all all my brothers and all people
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
I love the world bottom line and all I want is peace and positive energy
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
This album is actually a Gospel album
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Good energy positive energy
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Ima take these down cause it’s all about positive energy blessings blessings positive energy blessings
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
The Devil can’t stop us
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Man it’s a sad a day… Wiz lost 2 million followers since I tweeted I didn’t mean to either him like that.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
I’m happy that I now know that KK means weed… please excuse the confusion … now back to #WAVES
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 27, 2016
Khalifa's new album Khalifa is being released on February 5th. West's WAVES is being released a little less than a week later on February 11th.
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