The rapper spent the year igniting political and personal feuds.
Kanye West's 2018 was anything but ordinary!
The 41-year-old rapper spent the year igniting political feuds over his support of President Donald Trump, starting feuds with other entertainers over their comments about his wife, Kim Kardashian West, giving strange interviews ranging in topics from slavery to suicide.
With all those and more, it was no easy task to choose West's 13 wildest moments of the year. Keep reading to see which events made the cut!
1. Feuds With John Legend Over Political Posts
In April, West stirred up controversy when he took to Twitter to declare that Donald Trump was his “brother” and say that they are “both dragon energy.” The tweets -- which followed a December 2016 meeting in Trump Tower -- upset some of West’s friends, including John Legend. Legend went on a tweetstorm, discussing issues including deportation, gun violence and incarceration, ending his tweets by saying that “artists can’t be blind to the truth.” Following Legend’s posts, West took to Twitter once more to share personal texts from the “All of Me” singer. In the texts, Legend implored West to not allow his support of Trump to “be part of your legacy,” and argued against what Trump “stands for.” West replied by saying that Legend’s texts were “a tactic based on fear used to manipulate my free thought." Legend responded by asking West to “think with empathy and context.” The pair seemed to set aside their differences, though, for Chrissy Teigen’s baby shower just days later.
2. Rants on TMZ Live
West’s controversial opinions continued into May when he appeared on TMZ Live and delivered a now-infamous rant. West claimed that he was addicted to opioids after having liposuction in 2016 and expressed some controversial opinions about slavery, saying that he felt like it was “a choice,” adding that “we’re mentally in prison.” In October, during a second TMZ Live appearance, West had to defend his viewpoint on slavery, after tweeting that we should “abolish the 13th Amendment.” He clarified that he meant “amend,” rather than abolish.
3. Has Nearly Two-Hour Long Interview With Charlamagne tha God
Around the same time of his first TMZ Live appearance, West participated in a two-hour long interview with Charlamagne tha God from iHeartRadio’s The Breakfast Club, and revealed even more bombshells. The “Yikes” rapper said he was “hurt” that Beyonce and JAY-Z skipped out on his wedding to Kim Kardashian West, before adding that he and Jay text and have “positive energy” now. West went on to partially blame his feud with Taylor Swift as well as Kardashian West’s Paris robbery on his 2016 breakdown that resulted in his hospitalization. Additionally, West said that his Trump opinions were about “challenging the norm.”
4. Sparks Rumors That He'll Run for President
In addition to his TMZ Live and Charlamagne interviews, West also sparked rumors that he may run for president. While some simply dismissed the idea, T.I. wasn’t so sure that West was kidding, telling Hot 97 that he’s “emphatically certainly serious.” “This is a real thing. He’s deada**,” T.I. added. T.I. wasn’t the only one to take West’s comments seriously. In September, John Legend said that West was “serious” about running to be commander-in-chief on the Dan Wootton Interview. “[West] sees that Trump winning makes it feel like he could do it too,” Legend added.
5. Drops Ye, Opens Up About Everything From Tristan Thompson to Suicide
West dropped his highly anticipated album, Ye, in June by gathering a group of music journalists, radio DJs and influencers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. On the album, he discusses everything from murder and suicide to mental health to Tristan Thompson’s cheating scandal to Kim Kardashian West’s reaction to his slavery comments. The album drop came after a month-long slew of releases for West with such artists as Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Nas and Teyana Taylor.
6. Appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Following his album release, West stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live for an interview, five years after their infamous Twitter feud. During the sit-down, West opened up about his bipolar disorder, saying that it’s important for people to see what a “ramped-up state” looks like, in reference to his TMZ Live appearance. Kimmel also questioned the rapper about his Trump support, but West stood strong saying that it was all about “overcoming fear.” When Kimmel questioned why West thought Trump cared about “any people at all,” he was silent. Additionally, West revealed that he still looks at porn, despite having daughters. “I still look at PornHub. Black is my favorite category,” he said.
7. Directs PornHub Awards
Perhaps PornHub saw West’s Kimmel interview because, less than a month later, West served as the creative director for the PornHub Awards. As part of his duties, West released a NSFW line of T-shirts, which featured the winners' names alongside explicit paintings. West also contributed to the design of the award statues, which were modeled after imagined alien sex toys, in keeping with the futuristic theme of the show. Additionally, West, who styled the presenters in his Yeezy line, also dropped a new song, “I Love It,” during the show.
8. Slams Nick Cannon, Tyson Beckford and Drake
In a series of videos, West called out Nick Cannon, Tyson Beckford and Drake in defense of his wife, Kim Kardashian West. Cannon, who briefly dated Kardashian West in 2006, spoke about her in interviews, something West was not OK with. “Don’t mention my wife,” West said to Cannon. As for Beckford, West took issue with him saying that Kardashian West’s body was “not real.” “Don’t speak on my wife, bro,” West said. When it came to Drake, West’s issues were many. First, Drake implied he had an affair with Kardashian West -- something she denies -- in his song, “In My Feelings.” Drake did that, West believed, because he assumed that West is the one who outed his secret child to Pusha T, who in turn revealed it to the world in his song, “Story of Adidon.” West said Drake’s claims didn’t “sit right with my spirit.” The Drake-West feud has flared up again as of late, with West claiming that Drake sent him purple devil emojis while he was struggling with his mental health; bought the first two rows at a Pusha T concert in response to the diss track; threatened West on a phone call.
9. Performs in Water Bottle Costume on Saturday Night Live
In late September, West took the SNL stage to perform “I Love It” with Lil Pump. The duo dressed as water bottles for the performance -- West was sparkling, Pump was still. West also took the stage with Teyana Taylor to perform “We Got Love” and Kid Cudi, 070 Shake and Ty Dolla $ign to perform "Ghost Town." As part of the latter performance, West stirred up controversy by donning a MAGA hat.
10. Gives Pro-Trump Rant Following SNL
West’s SNL controversies didn’t end with a MAGA hat, though. The rapper gave a pro-Trump speech to remaining audience members post-broadcast. During his rant, he cited a “Democratic plan” to “take the fathers out of the homes and promote welfare,” said that if he “was concerned about racism, I would have moved out of America a long time ago,” and encouraged people to “follow your heart and stop following your mind.”
11. Celebrates His Dad Beating Cancer by Eating Bugs
In October, following news that his dad, Ray West, beat cancer, father and son celebrated by eating bugs. West revealed the unusual celebratory meal on Twitter, writing, “Overcome fear. My dad and I are going to eat this plate of bugs to celebrate him beating cancer. No more fear.” Later, the younger West revealed that, after chowing down on bugs, the pair discussed issues regarding plastics and proposed “initiatives/solutions.”
12. Meets With President Trump
In the wake of all his praise for Trump, West finally met with the president in the Oval Office in October. During the meeting -- to which West wore his MAGA hat -- West discussed being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and declared, "I love this guy right here." West even stepped behind Trump's desk to give him a hug. Additionally, West criticized SNL, declaring that "our president... has to be the freshest, the flyest." West even got a few words in about policy, discussing trade, jobs and the prison system.
13. Sings Backstreet Boys With Mark Zuckerberg
On the lighter end of things, West took to Twitter to brag about his unlikely karaoke partner -- Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. In his tweet, West revealed that the duo sang "I Want It That Way," off the Backstreet Boys' 1999 album, Millennium. In the pic, West seems to be getting into the groove, while Zuckerberg looks unsure about the whole situation.
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