This was probably my favorite story yesterday. You know how Kanye West assaulted a photographer last year? The guy pressed charges and Kanye ended up pleading no contest and accepted probation, community service and therapy (anger management). Kanye has been doing really well with his community service too – he’s been volunteering at a city-run technical college, lecturing fashion students on leather jeggings and studded face masks. But before he accepted the deal, Kanye had to sit for a deposition and what happened was flat-out amazing.
Kanye West swears under oath, “I’m the smartest celebrity you’ve ever f***ing dealt with. I’m not Britney Spears.”
We got hold of a transcript of Kanye’s deposition in the case where he’s accused of beating a photog and smashing his camera. Kanye explains to Nate Goldberg, the photog’s lawyer, “I’m in the business of trying to make dope s**t for the world. You’re in the business of representing scums and trying to make as much money as long as there’s this lapse in the law.”
Goldberg grills Kanye about his song, “Flashing Lights,” — a rant against the paparazzi. Goldberg quotes from the song, “Till I get flashed by the paparazzi, damn, these ni**as got me.”
At that point Kanye interrupts, “You have to ask for a hall pass. You can’t just say the ‘n’ word around me.” adding, “It offends me because you’re a white person saying ‘ni**a.'”
Kanye says there’s a parallel between blacks fighting for civil rights in the ’60s and celebs fighting for theirs today: “I mean in the ’60s people used to hold up ‘Die N****r’ signs when my parents were in the sit-ins also.” Goldberg asks if he equates the struggle of blacks in the past with celebrities today and Kanye says, “Yes, 100 … I equate it to discrimination. I equate it to inequalities.”
Kanye goes on, “We, as group of minorities here in L.A., as celebrities have to ban together to influence guys like this — guys trying to take the picture, guys trying to get the big win, guys trying to get the check.”
The depo is riddled with Kanye’s sarcasm. When Goldberg asks where he lives, Kanye replies, “Earth.”
I’m kind of on #TeamYeezus (#NoDisrespectToBenAffleck) on this one. The lawyer reading out the lyric should not have used the n-word. That is off-side, even if you’re quoting Kanye to Kanye. That being said, this depo goes with Kanye’s recent theme of claiming that celebrities are like African-Americans in the 1960s, like they’re struggling for their rights. Kanye said the same thing in his GQ interview too. Classic Kanye. You know he really thinks this way.
Meanwhile, TMZ reports that Kimye has purchased a new mansion in Hidden Hills, California. It’s about five minutes away from Kris Jenner’s house (which is where they’re living currently) and the whole estate is worth $20 million. Apparently, it’s Kim’s “dream house” and they’ve already closed escrow on it.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I would think if you’re presenting a factual case, that you would have to read out the quote in its entirety.
Yes, you would.
+50. But Kanye was offended, so the lawyer needed to stop.
If he’s offended by his own lyrics then maybe he shouldn’t have written them.
Kanye is always offended. I grew up in the 60’s, a little white girl. Appalled at what I saw on T.V. People getting shot, maced, dogs sicced on them. Remember travelling from NY to Florida with parents and “white only” signs. I was old enough to read and asked mommy what the hell is up with that and she said don’t ask. That attitude is still around to a certain degree, unfortunately. For Kanye to compare what those good people went through to get equal rights is repelling. He has enough influence to educate. Compares himself to Einstein, Disney etc. Never Martin Luther King, who did make the difference. Now that was a smart man.
. . . seriously? I’m sorry but no. No group of people own a particular word. This is not elementary school where “no gross girls are allowed” in the playhouse. We’re grown ups here and the guy was asking a question based on lyrics Kanye wrote. Kanye wants to act like he’s offended, fine. But, we all know he was using that pile of malarkey to put the lawyer off and that’s just a cheap shot that cheapens a real issue.
What was the lawyer supposed to do? Replace the actual lyrics and say “the N word” instead. It’s like we’re all living in some bizarre world where no one understands or will consider context anymore. It matters. Context matters. Intention is 9/10 of the law. etc etc .
And now I’m going to go to the potty and make the P-word… but first I’m going to go throw up from the toxic levels of stupid I’m encountering today.
@mytbean-Where the hell were you on all the posts about PC-ness where I was saying “context matters”? I could have used the back-up 😉
Anyway, yes, this argument is so ridiculous.
The lawyer wasn’t being racist, he was just doing his damn job.
mytbean – I think I love you.
If the lawyer had said “the N word,” later in the case, Kanye’s legal team could have tried to argue that the meaning of “the N word” is vague. Like, he could have meant “nachos!” Unfortunately, everything needs to be black and white in the legal sphere. No shades of gray.
@Katija and now, every time I hear someone use the phrase “the N word,” I’m going to have to bite my tongue so I don’t giggle uncontrollably when the word nachos pops into my head
As much of a douche that Kanye is sometimes, the lawyer shouldn’t have said it, period.
If the lawyer presents a case, he is not entitled to alter quotes. The facts are facts, no matter whose sensibilities they offend. Changing words is changing facts. Would you like a world where actual spoken words are eliminated from court? That sounds very dangerous to me.
He could have said “… damn these N-words got me”. It’s been done before. Anywho, no one would be offended if there indeed was equality and no people of color were treated as less than but apparently common sense is a rare thing (including in Kanye (most if the time)). It’s a much bigger thing than a lawyer saying it as a part of a presentation. That guy goes home and lives his (white privileged) life and millions of people of color are STILL second class citizens EVEN in “modern & civilized” America and Europe.
Because in court whatever a quote was or is, should be repeated verbatim. It keeps things on the up and up and factual. It has nothing to do with privilege, it has everything to do with keeping court honest. What if lawyers just decided to change words because it offends them? Changing words can change context. Context can mean everything. These are Kanye’s own words. We should not ask for courts that alter any witness quotes, or testimony, don’t you get that? It can be a very slippery slope.
So? He could have just played the snippet and kept the context instead of saying it. Honestly, a court case about some parasite paparazzi means much less to me than my equality.
Completely missing the point. Lawyers should not be barred from asking questions containing verbatim quotes. They don’t or shouldn’t have to do a work-around on someone’s own words. If you want a fair and equal court system then you want it across the board. There should be no tip-toeing over words. There should be adherence to facts.
Well, when there’s equality for people of color than I’ll agree with you. Right now, I could care less about proper preceedings. Excuse me for not being “rational” when I can’t even go outside (because of the color of my skin) without people sneering at me.
@An, I am not denying inequality. I’m just expressing that in a court system, things should be kept to facts. If we allow for changes to words, in all likelihood, it would be minorities and the under-represented who would most suffer. There’s enough railroading, without allowing for discretionary changes in people’s testimony, and so on, KWIM?
Kanye is not special. His words are his words.
Kiddo is absolutely right. The lawyer had every right, and was correct to read the quote as Kanye wrote it. If Kanye is offended by the word, he shouldn’t have put it in his song. Do you honestly think there are hundreds of white teenage boys “singing” that song? Kanye is teaching them that it’s ok to use it. But that’s not the point. This was a deposition, and the lawyer is both entitled and obligated to quote verbatim. If it offends Kanye, that’s just too bad.
His arrogance and the very idea that he compares his privileged, spoiled beyond redemption existence with blacks in the civil rights movement should offend everyone who has to hear his ignorant, uneducated and hypocritical drivel.
@Kiddo
And I’m not exactly disagreeing. I WOULD agree if circumstances were different.
@GoodNames
I disagree, Kanye is singing/rapping his songs but he has said numerous times that it’s not alright for anyone other than black people to say it. And unless people have been living under a rock since the sixties they KNOW not to use it but we probably won’t see eye to eye on this.
http://changefromwithin.org/2012/06/19/4-reasons-white-people-cant-use-the-n-word/
@An- May I politely ask where you live (no details, but is it in the U.S or abroad? If the U.S, are you in North, South, etc) that people sneer at you for your skin color?
I do not deny their still exists prejudice and racism but I am surprised you cannot walk out of your house without your skin color being an issue. That is awfully sad. I guess because i am not used to that behavior by people.
@An
I don’t need to read your link. I already agree with you, and don’t think white people should say it, either. And it angers me when white people use the excuse “well, black people say it, so why can’t I?” I’m just saying that, in reality, Kanye doesn’t have the last word on this. He can say white people can’t use the word, but he’s giving them an excuse to use it, whether he means to or not. Just look at the posts on here whenever it comes up.
From Denmark so as aryan and modern as it gets. I’ve literally gone to the supermarket and while in line a eight year old asked their parent why I was wearing a mask. The parent didn’t even correct them. I’m not even exaggerating.😒😒😒😒😒
I’m light-skinned and it’s bad for me (and I have white passing, which is also a privilige), my dark-skinned girlfriends are literally treated like animals sometimes. People will walk into them on purpose, trip them and mutter racist sh!t. The other day we were out and while we passed these guys they just started yelling in what I can only assume they thought was some African tribal language. It’s so disgusting, it makes me sick.
@An- Thank you for responding.
I thought Denmark was more progressive than that. That is awful. I am sorry you have to deal with that type of behavior from people. There is prejudice and racism everywhere, but I suppose there are so.e places worse than others with their attitudes towards race or sexuality. Oddly, I live in a small town outside a major city and there is a melting pot of race and cultures here and I do not see people behaving badly towards those different from them. I have seen worse in major cities where you would think race or sexuality or nationality would not be an issue.
Wait a minute, An, aren’t you the one who claimed you had been to cities all over America and every time you “went outside” somebody called you the N word? And bus drivers in Atlanta and Dallas would tell you the bus was full when it wasn’t? I think you might need some help.
WHAT?! No, that wasn’t me. I literally have no idea what you’re talking about. I have been to America (New York and San Francisco) and been slighted a little but nothing like that, at ALL. I would say people are a little more accepting in America, but that’s mostly because only a really small percentage in Denmark is black so no one really “interacts” with other people different from them.
@Eliza
It is progressive but some people are just assholes. Even if they don’t say anything I feel like staring is really offensive too. I just think, have you NEVER seen a black person before???
An, I’m so sorry you’re going through those things. I don’t know what it’s like over there, but here you must present the facts exactly as they occurred- Kiddo is correct. I understand feeling uncomfortable hearing a white person repeating the word, but they weren’t in a public forum or casual setting; they were in a legal one and protocol must be followed. You can’t start altering how things happened or words said because it must be repeated exactly how it was stated. It’s not social, it’s legal.
Oh my frickin god, beyond ridiculous. Kanye has LOST it and taken half if you with him………….. The lawyer can read the lyrics. This political correctness has become crazy. One person can say something but another can’t. It’s just insane. And for Kanye to decide celebrities are the civil rights of today is nuts. We all just need to quit funding his craziness…….. Aaarrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Please don’t take this as me condoning white people using the n-word, because I really don’t. But I attended a Kanye concert in…2006? where he himself said that he had made it okay for white people to say that word. I remember it very distinctly because it was so vulgar. So I can’t help but be frustrated with his rants now – and perhaps less with his current rants and more with him saying that then.
An, I sincerely apologize that I confused you with someone else, and I’m sorry for all you’ve been through. It’s a long story, and I’m not making excuses for my stupidity. I hope you can forgive me.
@GoodNames
No apologies needed. And I do agree with everybody (although I think the attorney used the N-word deliberately to provoke Kanye) I just wish things were different in regards to society but much worse things are going on in the World right now than me being stared at – I try to keep perspective that way. And Kanye IS a douche and not the spokes person for all black people so it’s not really about this isolated case but just in general, that I get annoyed.
As for @Bernice – there’s been linked at lot of articles on this thread – I suggest you read them.
@An– Who died and made Kayne God? He doesn’t get to set rules for black people, only himself. This is a court deposition and his words are repeated verbatim. It is the law. If he doesn’t like it, well, seeing that he is the “smartest person in the world”, maybe he should change the law. He needs to pick his battles more wisely and get over himself.
If a word is offensive, then it is offensive no matter who says it. Kanye or whoever else. But that has nothing to do with a factual court proceeding.
Ann , Do you think Kanye’s usic or anyone else’s stays in the same country he produced it? It is worldwide, I am from a different country and Latin american teens are calling each other the “n” word because music has taught them it, or maybe they have heard it in movies.. usually by black people.
At movies they may call each other that, but in music not everyone knows the context and lots of people don’t know the history. The singer is teaching the foul words with no explanation, they even repeat it because they recognise it as a bad word and is funny to them, or think it is cool.
It is court and they must present the facts. If it not were a deposition, but it were a worse crime, the same, every words spoken is important.
An, I am terribly sorry that you face discrimination and I agree full heartedly that racism is still incredibly prevalent but I have to agree with the other posters here. I am an attorney and I can assure you, you absolutely cannot alter the wording in a court deposition. Depositions are not just conversations between people. They are formal, legal court proceedings where witnesses are sworn in just as though they were testifying in court. I didn’t see any evidence in the deposition transcript that indicated the attorney deposing Kanye was trying to be inflammatory or deliberately get a rise out of him. In contrast, I was amazed by how well the attorney kept his cool during the proceedings when Kanye was deliberately insulting the guy and his job and was all but spitting on the attorney. There was only one person who acted improper and like a complete a-hole during the deposition and it WASN’T the attorney.
I also agree completely with the above poster who stressed the point that context of a word absolutely matters. The attorney in question wasn’t using the word to insult or denigrate anyone and he wasn’t using it in a casual conversation. He was citing a quotation during a legal proceeding. In my job, I have come across multiple words from various documents (statements made by witnesses, to the police, by the defendant, etc) that I am uncomfortable repeating. But in court or during a proceeding, I don’t have the choice to gloss over those words. I have to repeat them no matter how much I don’t like doing it. I sincerely doubt this attorney, a professional, not some dumb kid on the street, enjoyed using the word or got some sick thrill from it. It’s not fun, but we’re professionals and it’s part of the job. And the the context in which the word was used was appropriate. People, we’ve GOT to start understanding that distinction.
@Ennie, you just made my point re ” by BLACK people”. No one else should say it no matter where you are. He was most likely using the word to provoke Kanye into making a scene or something so as to prove that he has anger management issues – it’s a legitimate court strategy.
@Michelle
If you would have read my posts you would have seen that I wrote that Kanye isn’t the spokes person for all black people and I definetely don’t agree with anything he said re celebrity = civil right movement. At all!
… But you understand that people from other races will use it disregarding the history?
It is kind of hypocritical not to want anyone to use it, but keep on using it for mass consumption.
In my country we use a lot of offensive words, but when we are called upon it, we complain. I am Mexican, and Mexicans went to Brazil and cheerfully called a very bad word during the soccer games our team participated. Our team was in danger of being fined, and we (the national soccer association ) played innocent, saying that the international community was too PC and did not understand the context. Even people from other countries, like Brazil started repeating the chant without knowing the context where it came from. And it was the same offensive word. If some random person called that word to a Mexican, he would probably be offended.
It is a bad word and it is a complex thing, but in the end it i offensive. If you do not want to be called upon it, don’t say it. I understand trying to be truthful in a serious movie that people will learn something from, but in it kind of cheapens the significance in music for mass consumption, it is either offensive or not.
This egomaniac seems to take everything seriously, including himself, but at the same time he is promoting the bad words that offend him and making them for international consumption. He should carry a disclaimer.
I agree with others , this is court procedures and the word(s) he uses will be repeated, and it would be the same for other court cases.
I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
Y’all beat me to it. This was a legal proceeding with all statements going on record. The lawyer must read the quotes verbatim.
Yep. It’s a lyric. He’s reading the lyric out. There’s no racist intent to the lawyer’s usage. He’s quoting Kanye’s words.
+1. The law is the law period. Just curious, does it bother Kanye when white kids buy his cd’s or his concert tickets?
Nicolette – I’m sure he’s giddy when white kids buy his cds – it is money after all … although he shouldn’t be. Because then it will be impossible to acknowledge that part of his success is based on white people’s support. White people who are singing lyrics he wrote that offend him when sung by white, horrible, oppressive mouths. sigh…
Totally agree with mata and kiddo and others on this. It’s nothing to do with the awful racist prejudice that still exists, it’s about accuracy, and shocking though it might be to his ego-ness, you aren’t exempt from the normal processes because you’ve sold a bunch of records and married a pretty woman with a big backside.
Chris Rock said you can sing it if it’s part of the song, but you can’t say it in any other context. And he’s about 10000 times more down to earth than Kanye. Honestly if you don’t want anyone using the word, then delete it from rap/hip hop culture – sorry, guys use it to say “bro” these days, and chicks use it to say the male equivalent of “bitch/ho”. So please, if you don’t want it used, don’t use it then!
Currently it’s being reappropriated to not be as offensive anymore, hopefully we’ll get to a day when it can be applied to any man, regardless of skin colour, and it has lost its historical weight. And Kanye can’t talk about being offended by that when he is offending anyone who has actually been subjected to racial hate, or called subhuman by the Nazis.
Take a seat, asshat.
Well, well Chris a Rock is OF COURSE the expert go to on what can and can not be said…………
If you don’t want the word said, then don’t put it in the lyrics.
Kiddo makes a great point. I hate that word so much but in this context of the lawyer reading back Kanye’s own words it makes sense. It still makes me cringe but I can understand. Sometimes you guys give me a new perspective I didn’t think I would have.
Exactly, in court you quote word for word, you don’t paraphrase. That us why the court reporter takes down every.single.word because each word matters in law.
The real outrage is his comparison to the civil rights era. Last time I checked the disenfranchise African-Americans did not have money making agreements with the people that beat them and lynched them and denied them equal rights. The Kardashians have accounts with paps. They arrange for pictures, then get a cut of the profits when the pap agency sells the photos. I can’t get over his hypocrisy on the paparazzi issue. There are few things that compare to the horror of the civil rights era, voluntary photo shoots aren’t one of them.
Exactly. The K family has the Daily Mail and TMZ on speed dial. They constantly feed rumors to TMZ and the Daily Mail fawns over Kim.
My thoughts exactly. As a law school student, I really hate when people tell us how we’re supposed to do our job. It sounds snobbish, yeah, but you’re taught all of that is done for a reason. A word – especially a word like that with a huge emotional charge – can make a difference in a case. No room for euphemisms. The actual thing has to be said.
Sometimes raped women have to see the rapist on court. Relatives of a dead person are shown their corpse. It’s tough, but it all helps to make sure the guy sent to prison was indeed a criminal.
Despite what he thinks (poor Britney!), he’s not that smart. Of coure you have to read the quote in it’s entirety. What a tool.
Apparently none of you who feels the lawyer had the right to use the word are not black. I am and I would not appreciate him using the word in front of me. He didn’t have to use that part of his song, plus Kanye knows the lyrics, he could of stopped at that point. If your not black you don’t know what it feels like to have someone white call you that name. Quoted or not Quoted.
@nikko would you write something that contained language that would offend you if someone of the wrong racial makeup repeated what you wrote back to you verbatim? Sorry, Kanye and other artists use that word like it’s going out of style and it’s their own damned fault if they’re offended when their words are quoted in context/verbatim by anyone else. Likewise, if you are offended then it’s Kanye who caused the offense. Context matters
Ok, so its all poor me when they are getting stalked by the papparazzi for being famous, but if they make it to a restaurant or club and told to wait, they be like “Do you KNOW who I am????” *PFfft* Yeezus can go pull that stick out his ass! He’s an idiot. And please, anyone married to Kim Kardashian can NOT be that bright!
It doesn’t matter what you’re quoting it for or why. If you aren’t black (or biracial – where you’re half black) you shouldn’t be saying the n word thats it. What’s with this need to say the n word so badly if you aren’t black??? Black people constantly say its offensive when it comes out of the mouths of people who aren’t black yet people insist on saying it. why???? if black people want to reclaim the slur for themselves then they have every right to, other races shouldn’t be saying the word and dont have any right to.
this reminds me of a debate I saw one day on this topic “you want to say the n word but you dont want to get followed around in a store. you want to say the n word but you dont want to get discriminated by the police. you want to say the n word but you dont want to get shot for wearing a hood. unless you’re ready to live the life of a ni**a keep it out of your mouth”.
I really like Kanye. I really like his music. But this is so obnoxious. He also justifies having said that paparazzi are worse than Nazi’s. And Shawn Holley is all hot to shut it down. At least she sees the mess – Kanye is so convicted of his own genius, that he can’t see the crazy.
Also – I don’t think the lawyer needed a “hall pass” to quote Kanye’s own words during a legal proceeding. It’s not as though he were saying the word, himself.
GIGI agree with you. He wrote these “lyrics” for public consumption – but when someone else quotes them, it’s a problem? Only black people are allowed to quote him? FFS. Who’s discriminating now? Kanye, please take your ego and throw it into the molten lava of Mount Doom.
Exactly, does he stop every concert if he sees a non African American person singing along to that word? Is there a disclaimer on his albums to say he’s using that word but no one white listening can sing along to it. No. He was just being an asshat to the lawyer, trying to be smart and making himself look like an idiot. It was a direct quote from something he wrote and released for public consumption about the topic so the lawyer was quoting.
I’m not even touching his other bullshit. He’s either a moron or he genuinely believes Kim and her douchenozzle, soulless, air-sucker family are geniuses who deserve their infamy.
Well… I disagree on this point. In a legal setting – you must quote – and quoting someone doesn’t involve altering words. But I don’t think any White people should be using that word outside of this specific context. I listen to Kanye almost daily and when I’m singing along… even at home… I leave that word out.
Which is your choice (and I agree with you) but it’s not his choice who should and shouldn’t sing along with a word he’s chosen to put into a song that is released into the public. If he’s got that much of a problem with it, don’t use that word at all then no-one will be singing it.
I truly believe in Kanye’s case, if this was his own lawyer quoting it he would have no problem with him using it, white or not. It’s because it’s the paps lawyer.
@Belle Epoch
So let’s get this straight, a white person not being “allowed” to use the n word is discrimination? You mean since it’s no longer socially acceptable for white people to use it, it’s some type of oppression? Lol how nice must that be that it’s the only discrimination you have to deal with.
@Nick
+1000000000000000000000000000000000
http://www.upworthy.com/dont-use-the-n-word-if-youre-not-black-the-end-but-if-you-need-an-explanation-here-you-go
@Nick
Belle Epoch was talking about the lyrics… not the word.
The thing is, this was a court of law, and protocol must be followed. You have to state things exactly as they occurred or were said; you can’t change anything. If the lyric or statement contained the offensive word, you still have to state things as they occurred. This isn’t a social setting where someone is saying the word- it’s a court of law focused on the facts.
@Val – thank you for understanding my point. No one here – well, no one who is actually following the discussion – is talking about using the n-word in everyday conversation.
@ Nick – NO ONE has the right to assume what kind of prejudice or discrimination another person has experienced. You don’t know me. DO NOT MAKE PERSONAL ATTACKS. Unless you are just trolling – in which case, carry on.
Agreed. If Kanye is so offended by his own lyrics he shouldn’t have written them.
People that rate themselves to the degree he rates himself are just delisional or trying to overcompensate for deep, dark, rooted in the nads, insecurity! *SMH*
Why doesn’t any of these people call him on his blatant hypocrisy? Nobody marries a reality star if they truly desire be left alone by the paparazzi and media.
OMG, THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
But she’s not just a “reality star”, shame on you?
She is Marilyn Monroe crossed with Cleopatra and Joan of Arc, she is the most beautiful women ever to walk the Earth and the holy carrier of Kanye West’s magical artistic sperm.
Thank you. I’m so sick and tired of people defending this man. He’s a walking contradiction. He says he hates the paparazzi but marries a woman who constantly calls the paps. He goes on rants about corporations but he’s obsessed with getting respect from the fashion industry. Are they not a corporation? Lastly, he goes on and on about racism but I never hear him call out the fashion industry for their blatant racism, and didn’t he once wear a shirt with the confederate flag on him? Don’t believe the hype. Kanye is as much of an attention seeker and corporate wh*ore as his wife.
+10000
This. Kanye is free to make choices like the rest of us, such as marrying a reality “star” who is famous for having a big ass and being in a sex tape, but then, like the rest of us, he must deal with the consequences of those decisions; namely, the paps. As far as the “n-word”, in legal proceedings a quote must be accurate as it is part of the official record. Additionally, playing a piece of the song in court allows the listeners to get carried away by the music, whereas a spoken quote makes the listener concentrate on the actual words. This really isn’t brain surgery and I’m surprised that so many folks didn’t grasp that concept immediately.
This so much. Just STFU, Kanye.
Yep.
most punchable face in Hollywood.
I genuinely believe that if he was challenged, he’d insist that beyond the show, she doesn’t do anything to chase publicity. He’s so delusional I think he might believe that she has nothing to do with the paps being everywhere they go.
I have a hard time believing that, because they make money from the paparazzi photos. They get a cut of the pictures the paps sell of them. I am sure his and her business managers include that as a line item when they discussed their assets before the marriage. When two people merge estates, it has to be very clear what money is coming from where at that moment in time.
Delusional fuck. That’s what celebrity does to a person.
He is so totally dislikable. What a dick.
Yes this is the product of narcissism, yes-men, and probably cocaine (did you hear that recording of him ranting about Taylor Swift et al a while ago?! He sounded coked out of this mind)
Dear Kanye West (you jackass): My aunt lost custody of her three kids in her divorce, in 1968, because she had the audacity to date a black man, and she and her kids (and the asshat ex) were white). Go talk to someone like her about civil rights. You might actually learn something.
Sorry for the rant, I just can’t with this idiot. And the lawyer was correct to use that word in this context, it was a deposition, everything wass under oath and on the record, and he was reading something the opposing party wrote. If Jackass doesn’t want that language being used, then he shouldn’t put it in lyrics that will get repeated by anyone at random. In fact, the word is abhorrent, why use it at all!
Kanye is an idiot, always has been. But people are so blinded by celebrity worship that they can’t see that.
Not me. I hate him with a passion that only grows each time I hear the of the turd he has spit out this time. He is SO IGNORANT AND DELUDED it defies all rants and rave and all caps. Just, BEYOND a moron such that no positive deed or words can make up for the other 99% of moron in his genes. …. do I make my point… lol
some people should just sing, just act, etc and NOT try to talk like they know something because clearly he just doesnt know anything other than his distorted beliefs.
Some people say dumb thing b accident– he says them on purpoe and really believes he knows better than the rest! I think thats what bothers me so bad, less what he actually says (albeit so amazingly dumb)
Kayne is an idiot. Fitting that his perfect match is KimK.
Izzy, how awful about your aunt. I’m sorry.
I wonder if the people who actually lived through the pre-civil rights and civil rights era would think about Kanye. People who had loved ones lynched, or had fire hoses turned on them or dogs set on them because they wanted to go to school. I wonder what they would say to this multi millionaire who compares what they went through to having his picture taken when he doesn’t want it to be taken. I can’t speak for them, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they spit in his face.
Ha, well, she eventually married him anyway, they had a son, and the other three moved to be closer to their mother as soon as they were legally allowed to. And ended up closer to my uncle than they ever were to their own father.
Rosa Parks would probably agree with the President, and call him a jackass.
Sorry about your Aunt. My cousin lost custody of her first child from her first marriage because she left her husband for a black man. We were just talking about this last night it happened in the early 80s too. She wasn’t even allowed to see her child from her first marriage because she married a black man and had kids with him. Later when the kid grew up (without any mother) he made the choice to have his mother and brothers and sisters in his life.
That is terrible, Izzy & MsMercuryy! Thank you for sharing. It really puts Kanye’s comments into perspective when you hear about the true suffering people faced during that time in American history.
I really wish some civil rights leaders from that era would stand up and tell Kanye he doesn’t know what he is talking about. He has made these types of comments before, and he needs to be publicly corrected.
Thank you for sharing this story, as it just underscores what an ignorant idiot Kanye is.
My parents received death threats in the early 80’s when they announced their engagement (mom’s black, dad is white). My dad’s relatives pulled them aside and asked if they really wanted to get married, as they would have “half-breed” children.
Kanye wants to compare his lack of privacy on the street to that kind of terror and pain, and wants to say getting your photo taken by paps is worse than being victimized by Nazis?! I’d like to kick his ass every day for the rest of my life.
He MUST have been dropped on his head as a child.
Nope… this is what comes from having a parent who thinks the sun rises and sets out of their child’s ass. His sense of self comes from THAT. Bet you anything his mother never raised her voice to him. She certainly didn’t teach him HUMILITY and RESPECT for others.
I could actually get on this bandwagon:
FREE Kanye and Kim!
Make them invisible like the rest of us!
Give them no attention! Pay them wages like ours!
What do we want?
Obscurity for Kanye and all the Kardashians.
When do we want it?
NOW!
Who is going to make up the signs?
I have some “careful now” and “down with this sort of thing” signs ala Father Ted on hand at all times, if that helps.
Sure. We can wear the Anonymous masks too.
http://wallpoper.com/images/00/43/48/36/anonymous-mask_00434836.jpg
Yes, yes, yes!!!!
‘We don’t want cameras around us’ – Kim, as she’s in the kitchen with a bunch of cameras surrounding her for her next season of KUWTK.
‘leave us alone!’ – Kanye, as he’s in his bedroom while Kim takes pictures of him and North and posts it for the world to see…
total obscurity is not what these people want, is what I’m saying. But to defend Yeezus, he’s married to someone who loves the attention he abhors.
I will buy the markers, posterboards, glitter and vodka. We can all have a sign-making party. This fool is insane. I’m guessing it’s a mix of delusions of grandeur, coke, and constant exposure to plastic fumes that waft from his wifebot and the rest of that Turdpack he married into. “I’m the smartest f-ing celebrity..I’m not Britney Spears”??! HAHAHA. I knew Britney Spears, and you, Mr.West are NO Britney Spears. Seriously, at least she is semi-decent to other humans. He sounds like Bieber when he was getting deposed. Way to be awesome, Kantye.
A Bieber / West get together would be fabulous. A truly Douchetastic Duo. Justin would have to keep quiet on the enn words cos he’s Canadian…and Kanye would have to pretend not to notice that Justin’s breeks were falling off his scrawny ar@se. I’d love to direct the video.
@ Anne tommy – and also featuring Robin Thicke. They can be called the “Turgid Trio”.
Wow, reading this article I just realised…. I have a friend who is a Kanye West. Also completely delusional about his intelligence, power, and place in the world. He’ll say things like where you think he cannot possibly be serious to think he’s going to be the most powerful man in the world, but then you realise he isn’t joking.
Funny, but also frightening. Sometimes you wonder how these people never get their bubbles burst.
I still say it is NOT ok for ANYONE to use the word but Kanye is wrong in berating the lawyer for quoting his own song. Also, would he had been offended if the person grilling him was black? He specifically says he’s offended because it’s a white person.
Actually, what he said was actually stupider. His words – “You have to ask for a hall pass.” Apparently it would be ok that the white guy used the “n” word, if he first requested a hall pass from Kanye.
His music is good but most of his fame comes from publicity, I.e. gossip columns and pap shots. That’s all his wife is famous for. Clean your own house first.
Soo let me understand:
it is ok to go on stage and sing that words without thinking there might be people who could be offended, but if someone read YOUR OWN song you are offended ??
The more Kanye talks the more his lack of intelligence and deep delusion are on display.
To everybody, YES only black people are “allowed” to say it! Unless you’re black and go through what black people go through EVERY SINGLE DAY keep that word out of your mouth.
I don’t personally believe in using it but when we’re having a discussion on WHO gets to say it, I’d say it is the people who went through hundreds of years of slavery and oppression and TO THIS DAY don’t have equality.
I agree, but a lawyer quoting lyrics in court is a completely different situation. The lawyer cannot just change the quote at will in a legal proceeding and anyone who is offended at that is not using his or her brain.
It could be on the Moon for all I care, if you’re not black don’t use it, for ANYTHING.
He’s not going to lose his legal license if he says “n-word” instead of using an incredibly offensive word.
K, that is just not how the legal system works. They don’t paraphrase, they quote verbatim.
Think of it like this: If a white person was on trial for harming a black person, would you want their defense lawyer to be able to parse their words and soften the impact of saying that word while harming someone?
A court of law is for documenting facts. If someone said that word or wrote that word, it is a part of the facts surrounding a case.
“He’s not going to lose his legal license if he says “n-word” instead of using an incredibly offensive word. ”
The lawyer would be misrepresenting what another person said while on court record.
Black people shouldn’t say it either how about that. Whether it has ‘er’ or an ‘a’ at the end,it’s offensive when anyone uses it.
I agree and I said that personally I don’t think it should be used but when we’re discussing WHO gets to use it (like we are), only black people can.
This. Don’t reappropriate something that is offensive to you. Take it out of the lexicon.
ok, great, then black people need to stop taking money from white people who buy their CD’s, songs on i-tunes, clothing etc…and profitting from it then in the next breath berate all of us white people, many who weren’t even AROUND 100 years ago or not even remotely related to the slave trade. They sure as crap don’t mind taking our money when we buy their stuff, but they sure love to b!tch about how we still to this day oppress them…complete double standard, it gets old. No one has the right to say that word…or any offensive word to another race…I’m so tired of the debate over this one word, where is the debate over the word ‘ho’?
Wow, I’m so sorry that you must endure your white burden. So sorry. It must be absolutely horrendous for you, what with the color of your skin opening numerous doors for you. How ever do you cope with such trials?
Oh, and by the way, white people aren’t the only ones who buy products, so bye. Try having a functioning society without the resources from Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Bow lower and scrape harder K, we’re clearly not sufficiently penitent.
How does this whole issue work for biracial people who appear more white than black? Because they look white they should never use the word? How about if there are 2+ kids in the family and each is a different hue? Will the children with darker skin be allowed and the lighter skinned children not allowed?
For the record, I don’t think ANYONE should use that word.
There are definitely issues of privacy and boundaries when it comes to the paparazzi. BUT if you hate them so much you don’t marry a woman who calls them everyday. You don’t marry a woman who posts paparazzi pictures on her instagram. And for the love of all that is holy, please stop comparing this to civil rights. Kanye is slowly killing his own career.
“I’m the smartest celebrity you’ve ever f***ing dealt with. I’m not Britney Spears.” you’re not, honey. if you were, you’d know when to STFU for a bit. and you wouldn’t feel the need to constantly reassert your alleged intelligence. or compare yourself to others (like britney).
He needs to leave Britney alone!
lol
http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=VN.607987813956518271&w=205&h=115&c=7&rs=1&pid=2.1
This. If you constantly have to tell people how “smart” you are and what a “genius” you are, you are probably neither.
making a comparison with someone who has battled and is battling mental issues speaks volume about him.
@Eleonor: So you think he should be setting a higher bar?
No I think he should shut up,because what he said it’s insulting it implies a person who is battling a mental issue “is stupid” while he, he “is smart”.
I agree 100%, Eleanor. It was insulting and insensitive. And it’s not as though I’ve seen much evidence of his genius, anyway…
He wishes he were as rich and popular as Britney.
I get where he’s coming from. People think that celebrities have less rights than other people because they’re celebrities. Hence the invasion of their privacy via photos without permission, random strangers walking up to them and saying stupid shit, lies printed about them in gossip magazines etc. When you think about it working in the entertainment industry is just a job. So why do people lose their shit over celebrities and why is it socially acceptable?
He has a point, if he wasn’t involved in the greatest famewhoring act of all time.
You know who actually would own this stance? Alec Baldwin. As much as his reactions are over the top, he doesn’t court the paps.
He’s not just talking about himself (hard to believe I know) He’s talking about celebrities in general. So I think he has a point.
The point is lost in hypocrisy.
Nah. I think what he says is true for the reasons I stated above. But I get what you’re saying. People who court it shouldn’t complain.
Kanye doesn’t court the paps. Kim certainly certainly does, and he married her, so he has no room for complaint, but he himself does not seek out paparazzi.
No-he’s another one who’s married to a famewhore.
The Kardashian/West family doesn’t court the paps, they hire them. They have accounts with the paparazzi and arrange to have photos taken. The KWs then get a percentage of the money that is made when the paparazzi agency sells the photos.
This was on Inside Man with Morgan Spurlock on CNN.
There are points to be made about the invasive and dangerous nature of the paparazzi. I have been endangered myself, so I wish they could be taken down a notch. Here is the problem with Kanye’s rant:
1. Celebs who employ the paps, like himself and his wife, make it harder to get new laws and restrictions placed on the paparazzi. It discourages law enforcement from taking action because they can’t tell when people are being harassed and when people are complicit.
2. His comparison to the civil rights era is so hyperbolic and extreme, that it is insulting to the true horrors of that time in American history.
3. He claims to be a victim, when he and his wife encourage the pap behavior. You don’t stream your wedding events on TMZ if you are tired of tabloid coverage. You don’t call ahead to the paps if you don’t photos taken of you landing at LAX. So not only is his comparison offensive, it is a lie.
I agree that celebrities do have issues with privacy and boundaries. My point is marrying a person whose entire livelihood is a result of the paparazzi makes his point invalid. And while celebrities do deal with lots of annoying crap, they are not being lynched, they are not being attacked by dogs, and they are certainly are not being denied basic human rights because of who they are. Comparing it to the civil rights movement is offensive and he should know better considering the civil rights work his mother participated in.
Bullshit Chris. We see less paparazzi photos of a- listers like Jennifer Lawrence and Angelina than Kanye and his wife. Not to mention they don’t post constant updates of their whereabouts on social networks, making a mockery of the whole idea that they want privacy. Its perfectly possible for bigger stars than kanye and his family to be a lot more private, but kanye and the kardashians don’t want that do they? They feed of the media frenzy and as such Kanye is embedded with modern celebrity culture i.e reality famewhoring . I doubt the truly private stars like Angelina and the likes want him to speak for them anyway because of the hypocrisy in his case.
I have always admired him musically, but intellectually he is coming of more and more like an embarrassing half wit.
The Soup showed a picture from her Instagram where she said she was flying from the Hamptons to NY because the cell reception was crappy and she couldn’t Instagram….that is the person he married so he needs to shut the **** up about privacy or have a word with his wife…
I think when you marry Kim K you lose all cred. Also civil rights movement was brutal. People had their homes brunt down, they had dogs and water thrown on them. I don’t think a modern day celeb should ever compare what they are going through to what happened 50 years ago.
Except that celebrities can actually step away from that life (either by not calling/courting the paps, not being available on social media, living on the low, or simply retiring), because they have enough money and options to do so.
Absolutely incomparable to people living lives of oppression where they have NO CHOICE. You couldn’t “run away” from being black in the 60s, or being Jewish in 1938, or being Palestinian in Gaza. Sorry, but it is completely incomparable by any stretch of the imagination.
+1
Val – well said. Kimye have enough money to go away and buy their privacy if thats what they wanted. Her exposure is how she makes her money and i believe she married him for the publicity alone – look at the wedding – we’re supposed to believe he was offended by the publicity that surrounded it? They sold it – you cant sell every aspect of your life and claim you dont want publicity – if he felt hunted by the media why did he marry into the Kardashian circus? And why does he keep comparing his life to people who suffered during the Civil rights movement – he cant really honestly believe he is suffering the same plight? The only thing that annoys Kanye about the media is that when the paps take a pic and make money from the pictures they dont get a cut.
Great points, Val!
That was my first thought reading the headline. You can’t compare a CHOSEN career and lifestyle with something that a person has no control over – race, gender, sexuality, etc.
If he doesn’t want to hear a word quoted back to him, he shouldn’t use it.
If he doesn’t want paparazzi attention, he shouldn’t have married the biggest professional fame whore on the planet.
If he doesn’t want people thinking he’s stupid, he should stop making ridiculous and delusional statements.
The list goes…
I stopped reading after he had to take a jab at Britney Spears. I find his comment about her intelligence level in poor taste. His comment, taking a swipe at another entertainer makes him look not very bright.
Britney may lip sync, have gone through a dark period and may or may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, BUT she is nice to people and humble. That trumps anything this self important jack associated has ever done.
Darn auto correct. It was supposed to say jack ass. Not jack association.
I think it says something about him that he chose to mock someone who experienced mental illness followed by a public breakdown. She’s too easy to kick.
If the word is offensive, why use it so much?
One thing I will say about Kanye is that he seems to have lost that devilish sense of humor he had when he wrote gold digger. What happened to that guy? He was fun.
$$$$=sell out, Supposedly everyone has their price. It may not always be about money.
I believe his mother was alive then.
When dogs and water-hoses are turned on celebrities and when people start chanting celebrities go home or when we begin to see signs that read celebrities not served here or celebrities swinging like strange fruit from poplar trees, I will gladly support him and his cause célèbre.
A child pretending to be an adult. Idiot.
I find it odd that people are more concerned with a white lawyer repeating the n-word when quoting Kanye’s lyrics than Kanye himself equating celebrity with the civil rights movement.
Talk about misplaced outrage.
+ELEVENTY BILLION.
+1000
True.
Indeed.
As usual, your comment is spot on!
Yes, I agree 100%!!! I was really surprised about the focus of the comments when I first read this story. It felt like an alternate universe.
Yep.
I couldn’t agree more! I’m more than a little disheartened that the primary focus of this article and the subsequent comments have been about what a lawyer, who was legally obligated, said during a court proceeding as opposed to Kanye sincerely comparing his chosen lifestyle, one of immense privilege and opportunity, to those innocent and brave people who fought and died for their basic human and civil rights. I really wish a strong black leader, someone of the likes of Myrlie Evers-Williams, Medger Evers widow, or Martin Luther King III would comment on his ridiculous comparisons of an era he clearly has no real understanding of. I know that it’s technically beneath these people of such education, dignity and distinction to reply to such an ignorant moron like Kanye, but I feel like they are the only people whose opinion he MIGHT actually listen to. But then again, maybe that’s the point: his ridiculous rants don’t dignify a response, least of all from those who have truly been embattled.
Amen.
The reason nobody is really discussing it is because everyone KNOWS that was a beyond disgusting – and not to mention false – thing for him to say.
The N-word is a giant grey zone (for white people) and this “well, if they can why can’t we” thing keeps popping up and it is so disrespectful – why do you think you can’t? People, in general, can say whatever they want but don’t get all whiny when we side-eye you or protest.
Please. Stop.
I’ve read through your comments – and I agree. White people, no place in saying that word. But in a deposition, a lawyer repeating someone’s (in this case Kayne’s own choice) of words is proper law. You may argue, but that is how everyone stays protected. Word for word.
Please read the comments above. Read that a rich, privileged black man is comparing his suffering of having his photo taken – and subsequently making money off of him without Kayne getting a cut – akin to civil rights. That’s what you should be bananas over. It’s what I feel bananas over.
While I think Kanye is a dilusional asshat, the, the lawyer is correct to quote the word, but knows he didn’t have to. And as a black woman, I’ve never used the n word, but have heard it said to me and the non-participation of the vast majority of black people all over the world who don’t use that word has not prevented others using it towards us which is what gives me pause for thought. It’s not about black people not saying it. The issue is far deeper than that.
He is more offensive than any redneck racist! Because he is racist toward his own race than he is to others. However, he isn’t smart enough to realize it. Would he married a Kim type if she was a black woman?? No she’s beyond nasty and he is beyond dumb. Riccardo needs to get his man..
The ultimate insult is that he actually thinks the civil rights movement is equal to celebrity issues. Celebrities: entitled, wealthy, privileged, powerful as opposed to people fighting for their basic rights and lives when they were being given neither.
I agree.
Yet he married a woman who gets paid to live her life on camera.
Civil rights movement supporters were people who had spent their entire lives, or had witnessed their friends and loved ones endure abuse, discrimination, and violence because of something they cannot change.
Kanye can change his celebrity in an instant.
Kanye doesn’t want to change. He likes his celebrity. He likes it so much he married a professional fame whore who courts the paparazzi like a flower courts bees.
Also, when quoting anything in a court of law, even in a simple deposition, the quote has to be verbatim, regardless of how offensive. It’s not a requirement put there to protect one’s sensibilities but rather to protect one’s rights.
Oh because celebrities can’t eat at certain restaurants and sit at the back of the bus? He’s an idiot.
NO ONE put an effin gun to your head to chase fame, Kanye!!! Cry me a frickin’ river. You can’t have it both ways. You don’t want paparazzi, don’t chase fame!
Where’s all the up-in-arms backlash from the media and the NAACP about a celebrity saying celebrities are minorities as far as equating their issues with the paps to the civil rights movement? When trying to describe the celebs’ issues with paps and privacy, if a white performer said this, all hell would break loose.
It’s a ridiculous and insulting analogy he made. He’s becoming a joke, isn’t he? His albums are still great, but everything else about him is a joke with this whole Kardashian mess and him pushing her down our throats. Waaa, waaaa, Kimmie has to be on Vogue. She’s an icon. Why the First Lady and not my Kimmie? Waaa, Waaa. Going on TV complaining and whining because Kimmie can’t get on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is only for actors and singers/musicians, and him ranting and raving over that. Ugh, he’s becoming such a boor and bore.
Words and symbols matter. I don’t blame Kanye for calling out the lawyer on use of the word. Kanye is not a lawyer to know evidentiary rules, AND, unlike any of us, Kanye was actually in the room. Plenty of plaintiff lawyers are deliberately offensive to defendants to get them angry, especially in a case like this , where they want to establish that Kanye is quick to go off on people. The lawyer could have said something like , “Excuse my language, I’m about to quote one of your lyrics.” That would be a hall pass, and lawyers preface offensive words like that all the time.
“Excuse my language, I’m about to quote one of your lyrics.” is most cockamamie thing I have ever heard, no offense to you personally. In other words, I might insult you by repeating what you said, but I’m trying to confirm what you said. The lyric was directed at paps, so how could it be offensive to Kanye, if Kanye wrote it, the lawyer repeated it and asked him Is THIS What your lyrics said ? It’s confirmation of KANYE’S words, against paps, which is directly what the case was about.
“Excuse me, Mr. West? I’m politely asking you if I can read your lyrics verbatim because you happen to use the n-word here and I’m a white person. Can I say the actual word as you said it in the song that you wrote?”
Ridiculous.
Courts are for facts and this lawyer did not say anything offensive or factually incorrect. He shouldn’t have to ask Kanye (who he’s prosecuting BTW) if Kanye will grant him permission to read Kanye’s lyrics that Kanye wrote back to him.
Oh my god I’m getting a headache. Someone get me my weed and some rolling papers…
Grinding it up for you as I type… 😉
Guys, it wasn’t the prosecutor asking him … this was the pap’s lawyer in a civil suit against Kanye. It wasn’t in court, it was a deposition, probably in the lawyer’s office. In court, this lawyer probably couldn’t even ask the question, because the probative value of a song lyric on propensity to attack this pap is virtually nil. And I can guarantee you, no lawyer is going to use that word in front of a jury without a disclaim e r first. This lawyer sounds to me like he was just jerking Kanye’s chain. YMMV, as a always. 😉
I knew “prosecutor” was the wrong term but I couldn’t think of the right word. Thanks for being patient with me 😉
Well in Paula Deen’s deposition, the lawyer said “n-word” for the majority of the deposition but at one point said the full word and I don’t recall anyone getting outraged over that. But even then, he wasn’t quoting anyone, so that’s very, very different to me.
The thing is, even if the lawyer was intentionally using that word to bait Kanye as part of his strategy, that doesn’t make him a racist, just a smart lawyer.
It wasn’t like he was directing the word towards Kanye, he was READING Kanye’s lyrics.
That may be true, and I did realize it wasn’t a prosecutor, but if you are going to ask a question for someone to confirm something that THEY said, you are not going to ask them if they will be offended, apologize for same, or otherwise change words, in order to question that person. Now, if the lawyer was in court, he might, as you say, apologize to the jury, etc, and explain that those weren’t his words. But he doesn’t need to apologize to Kanye for asking about a word that he used. And you are right, lyrics aren’t likely to get in, and he was probably being antagonistic to this opponent, which is largely how all attorneys operate, minus those who just do wills.
I do have to admit tho, that I glossed over depo, thinking court, and it did strike me as a little odd that it got in, but weirder things have happened. A least it did have some connection to paps, and the term’s use in this instance was a pejorative, which is interesting.
@Kiddo-See Hannah’s comment below. She said the depo is part of the court proceedings and can be admitted into trial.
LIzzie, it’s irrelevant that they weren’t in court. A deposition is bound by the same rules of law as if they were in a court of law. Though the surroundings (typically in a law office) are more informal than an actual courtroom, do not think a deposition is merely an interview or conversation. And whether or not the question wouldn’t be asked in court is also irrelevant. That’s the entire point of a deposition. It’s a fact-finding proceeding where the attorneys and relevant witnesses can parse through the facts and/or evidence and determine whether or not there is a cause of action appropriate to proceed to a civil trial. The attorney was asking the question to determine Kanye’s state of mind regarding the lyric. Given his client’s potential cause of action, the question asked during the deposition is entirely appropriate. And to your last point, I have never seen an attorney ask the court permission to repeat a word, no matter how inflammatory, in the context of a quote. The judge would look at the attorney like they were an idiot. When I was a prosecutor out East I once sat in on the prosecution of a hate-crime where incendiary, inflammatory racial language was used. The prosecutor did not soften the language nor did he ask the court permission to quote the defendant’s language. It was necessary to inform the jury what the defendant had allegedly said and preserve it for the record.
Hi Kristin! I can’t agree that it’s irrelevant that they weren’t in court … Even though bound by the same rules of law as trials, plenty of questions get asked in depositions that aren’t admissible at trial, where the judge makes the decision as to admissibility. I know that judges can be called from depos to rule on issues, but judges don ‘t tend to appreciate too much of that. I agree that depos range far beyond admissibility given the wide latitude of discovery rules, but I still can’t agree that Kanye’s state of mind regarding a song lyric is relevant to whether or not Kanye assaulted this pap. Lastly, I’ve never seen a lawyer ask a judge permission to quote inflammatory language either, but I’ve seen plenty of cases where the lawyer prefaced his quotation with acknowledgment that the language was offensive — not for the judge, but for the witness and the jury. I practiced in the Deep South, and no lawyer I know would use the n-word, especially to a Black witness, without some kind of acknowledgment of its offensiveness.
Lizzie K, He called paps the term in a pejorative manner, even if only in lyrics, it would seem worthy of exploring to determine how deep any animosity was, especially with a person like Kanye who will run his mouth way past anything rational. And I still think it absurd to apologize for repeating someone’s own words to them. If you had to ask a witness about what someone else said, sure I could see that.
I’m going to try to sum up what my point is, if I can, because I don’t want to spend my evening defending Kanye.
This was a civil suit deposition, where the pap’s lawyer has wide leeway to ask Kanye questions, many of which will not be admissible at trial.
The contact that led to the alleged assault was initiated by the pap, not Kanye. The lyrics of “Flashing Lights” aside, there is no evidence that Kanye is on some kind of mission to take out paps. The question asked by the pap’s lawyer is thus not likely to lead to probative evidence with regard to the alleged assault and would not be admissible in court. Especially the n-word, which has prejudicial value outweighing any probative value. This part is my opinion, and nobody has to agree with me. That’s why they make chocolate and vanilla. 😉
It is to the distinct advantage of the pap’s lawyer to make Kanye lose it at the deposition, and at trial, if it gets that far. Use of the n-word by white people is extremely offensive to Black people and other people of color, for historical reasons that go back centuries and need no explanation by me.
I think the pap’s lawyer asked about the lyric because he was trying to be offensive. I think he wanted Kanye to lose it, because that helps his case. I wasn’t there, none of us were, but it’s a typical plaintiff lawyer’s tactic to try to anger the defendant. Get your raging defendant on video during his depo, and you up your chances of success at settlement or trial. For a white man to deliberately bait a Black man with the n-word, even if the Black man used it first, is beyond being acceptable. Again, this part is my opinion. Nobody has to agree, and it doesn’t look like anyone does. That’s fine, it’s cool, life goes on. I’m off to have a good evening, and I wish all of you celebitches the same. 🙂
This is not a seventh grade class reading “To Kill a Mockingbird.” This is a legal deposition. Naughty, offensive things are said aloud all the time. 911 calls are played. Sorry, that’s how it works.
If he was half serious about his hate for the paparazzi, Kim Kardashian would literally be the last person he’d marry.
The College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation were marvelous albums. Heartbreak and MBDTF were okay. Yeezus is horrible. He went from being an eccentric very talented man to an insufferable idiot that barely makes any good music anymore.
Yeezus is in the top ten worse rap album ever made.
And Bound 2 must be in the top 20 worst songs ever composed. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to more than 40 seconds of it.
Yes but the video for Bound 2 is one of the most unintentionally hilarious music videos of all time, so please give credit where credit is due.
u-hu honey!
As a trivial personal sidelight, “Flashing Lights” is one of my favorite songs. Most of it is about a relationship, but disregarding some of the lyrics, it’s just beautiful, almost haunting. Typical of some of Kanye’s work, it’s the guest singers (Dwele in this case) who “make” the song, not Kanye. Same with “Gold Digger”–it would be nothing without Jamie Foxx. The Flashing Lights video is horrific, though, I have NO idea what Kanye was thinking. He totally ruined a lovely song with gratuitous violence that has nothing to do with the song itself.
This guy whining about fame and marrying Kim Kardashian is like a fitness guru campaigning for healthy eating and marrying Paula Deen.
1. Just want to agree with the posters above who noted that a depo is part of the court proceeding. The deponent is sworn in and a court reporter is present. The depo transcript can be admitted as evidence in a subsequent trial. Therefore, the attorney has to use the actual quote. It’s not the same as using the word in everyday conversation.
2. This case is about Kanye losing his temper and attacking someone. Why would the attorney sugar coat anything to assuage Kanye’s feelings to prevent him from being offended?
3. Kanye–loophole and lapse are not synonyms. Shouldn’t a genius know that?
4. Having your privacy invaded to some extent is NOT the same as the wrongs black people suffered during segregation–from unequal education to disenfranchisement. Not even close. Frankly, celebrities get the best tables in restaurants as opposed to not getting served at all.
5. The lawyer’s last name is Goldberg and Kanye brought up the Holocaust and was about to compare it to the paparazzi issue. Kanye did the same thing. In fact, the attorney said something like you’re comparing the death of 6 million Jews before Shawn Holley shut the whole thing down.
Great points and WHAT. THE. F*CK to #5.
Ugh.
Really? SMH
Hi Hannah! I’m not a California lawyer, so the rules may be different, but in my jurisdiction, the deposition could only be used at trial for the limited purpose of impeaching Kanye if his testimony at trial differs from testimony in the deposition, or if Kanye is dead or otherwise unavailable for trial. Even then, the testimony in the deposition admitted at trial has to be otherwise admissible at trial, and I don’t think testimony on a song lyric will be admissible to show propensity to violence. Lawyers in my jurisdiction range far afield in deposition, just for discovery purposes and — in assault cases — to try to make defendants lose their tempers, and a lot of it is not admissible at trial.
I’m not arguing Kanye’s not an ass in general, btw.
Correct me, if I am wrong … but if he pleaded no contest the case was a criminal one, correct? Or can you plead no contest in a civil case? So you need to establish intent, right? Can a song demonstrate that there could be an intent towards violence? If the attorney understands that is part of the case, he will use the song.
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I think in all depositions you would have the attorneys present, both sides would be assisted… so, I have to assume that K.W had his attorney’s present -or did he represent himself? I don’t know, but I would believe it, if he did decide to represent himself– and if they managed to get a no contest deal and /or agreement then they also realized that KW was in the wrong here. Probably, speculating of course, K.W. attorney’s would not want their client to repeat what was said in the deposition in court.
Plus, if the other attorney was “wrong” in using any word, – granted I have not read the whole deposition – would not K.W attorney’s have objected? Isn’t that what you see on tv?
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And, how did TMZ get this? If it is a deposition as far as I understand it, you can correct me if I am wrong here, but it is not part of the docket, right? So, is it safe to assume that maybe his mother in law leaked it? According to some comments here.
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Instead of getting offended by the use of a word – that is part of his own lyrics – and I will admit has a negative connotation due to how it has been used, the real wrong here is to make a comparison with the civil liberties movement. What is it with celebrities, first it was rape and now this? That must be one HUGE bubble some celebrities live in.
Hey Lola, just wanted to clarify — Kaiser is reporting on two proceedings here — the criminal case, where he pleaded no contest, and the civil case, where he got deposed.
@Lizzie:
Oh, thanks.
But still, would K.W attorney be at this deposition… I think he would, right? So, his attorney did not object to the question, can he do that?
I think that K.W does come of as a douche and if this civil case goes to trial it would be interesting indeed, how would a jury feel about his comments.
Offensive to me is Kanye equating the struggle of the celebrity with the civil rights movement. He needs to GTFOH with that statement. The lawyer reading a quote from Kanye’s own lyrics, verbatim, gets a pass from me. Context is everything.
Someone should inform Kanye that being a celebrity is a choice, being of a different race or ethnicity is not. In no way is being a celebrity similar to fighting for civil rights because you simply don’t look like the people denying your rights.
He’s not the smartest celebrity ever dealt with, but he is the most likely to be labeled a Meglomaniac.
I just don’t have it in me any more to read about Kanye and give two hoots about his opinion on ANYTHING. After the three millionth time he declared himself a creative genius, has gone on some wacky rant, declared his genius misunderstood by the fashion industry (among others), yada yada yada…he has lost all credibility in my eyes, no matter what colour he is. To me, he is clear…I can see right through his bulls**t.
Actually I think it would have have a certain effect getting Kanye to quote his own lyrics and thereby avoid using the n-word (I don’t think anyone should use it but since I didn’t suffer under that word it doesn’t matter what I think and if black people saying it will make it lose it’s power to hurt then so be it.) But seeing past Kanye’s skin color, the dude is a jerk and if I was the opposing lawyer I would get him to quote the lyrics. Over and over and over.
He’s really trying to make everyone hate him isn’t he? He’s so damn exhausting.
Kanye’s problem is, when he’s wrong he doubles down instead of withdrawing – He’d be really, really bad a poker.
He has a point that there is a “Privacy Rights” issue with the Paps but it’s NOT equatable to , “The Civil Rights” fight.
See Kanye, what you need a “meaning translator”.
two fing morons. why pay any attention to them. especially the kardasians, what have they done at all.
I don’t understand him.
Stupid, but hardly a surprise there. I predict increasingly desperate attempts at “shocking” the world with his “truths” before the end, which will come sooner than later. He doesn’t have the talent for any longevity in the music industry, and just like all the rest, he’ll sputter out soon enough. But, there’s going to be quite a show as he plummets from the sky.