Kanye West has never been one to shy away from controversial material, but his most recent music video for his Taylor Swift-trashing song “Famous” has some people really pissed off and petitioning for its removal.
The video depicts, among other things, various nude celebrities as what we can only assume to be wax figurines. Celebrities include Amber Rose, Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump, and even Taylor Swift. The legal ramifications of such a stunt could be extreme, as nude depictions of high-profile celebrities without their consent are probably looked down upon.
The inspiration for the scene itself comes from the 2008 painting Sleep, by Vincent Desiderio. Regarding the nudity, West told Vanity Fair, “We were very careful with shots that had [something] sexual to take them out.” He continued, “It’s not in support or anti any of [the people in the video]… It’s a comment on fame.”
Many other publications have lauded this new video as a stellar piece of [performance] art, though we’ll let readers make their own interpretation about that.
The “Famous” video will be available for Tidal subscribers only for a week, and non-subscribers can see a 30-second preview. See it here.
WARNING: The content below depicts partial nudity and may not be appropriate for some viewers. Please use discretion.
Kanye took Vincent Desiderio's "Sleep" & brought it to life with a modern twist.. if that isn't genius idk what is. pic.twitter.com/bSDddfQFNo
— rey (@reyablo) June 25, 2016
Here’s the #TIDALxFamous video, if you went to sleep early like me: https://t.co/YWxxx8cnYG
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 25, 2016
Kanye’s Music Video ‘Famous’ premiered on @TIDALStatus #kanyewest #TidalXFamous #famous pic.twitter.com/9hbMDBoAhH
— Shady Facts (@TheShadeAccount) June 25, 2016
