Interesting to see Kanye West tempering his comments, if not his ego. Sucks for those who thrive off his flamboyance, but with his album coming up, his humility is sure to bow out eventually.
But note the strange behavior. One day we've got this at the MTV Europe VMAs:
The next we've got him deferring to 50 on September 11 for their dueling releases, as well as entrusting hip hop to future innovators. From MTV News:
“I'd rather come out on a day like that, up against 50 — where people are excited about going to the stores and it's an event and people talk about it — and be #2 on that day rather than come out and be #1 on a day nobody cares about,” said 'Ye to MTV News. “It's about things going down in history. It's not that much exciting stuff in hip-hop right now. I think people are going to make it more than what I'm making it myself. At the end of the day, I'm making music and I'm trying to sell.”
You could also chart this sort of banter on the decline of the beef, from real violence to orchestrated violence to media outlets straining to predict violence. Some super scary stuff from 50, with the ominous MTV subheading “50 says, 'I think they'll move [Kanye's release date].'”:
“If Kanye comes [September 11], he comes that day. That'll be great. I think his people are smart, I think he's smart too… I think they'll move [their release date]. But I'm coming September 11.”
Still Kanye's ego hasn't really gone anywhere, as he added:
“I really believe I can take home that Album of the Year award at the Grammys. I've won my awards, but they've always been a category: 'hip-hop,' 'rap.' I wanna win Song of the Year, Album of the Year. I wanna deliver this album.”
Be sure to look out for more beef-baiting. We'll see if the two rap superstars amp up their antics come September.
