Kanye West’s newly released MV Famous has stirred up public opinion with many offensive nude images of him and actors impersonating Donald Trump, George Bush, Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna.
The music video for Famous , released on June 24, sparked a heated debate with its shocking nudity. In it, “portraits” of celebrities including Bill Cosby, Caitlyn Jenner, Amber Rose, Ray J, Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour and George Bush were recreated in a nude state lying on a bed with Kanye West.
At the end of the MV, Kanye also thanked the “characters” who appeared in the clip by listing their full names. Although it was believed that this was just a combination of stunt actors, makeup effects and editing techniques, many viewers were still extremely angry because they thought that the American rapper intentionally defamed the names mentioned in the clip.
A representative for former President Bush confirmed that Bush had no involvement in the video, and other celebrities have yet to comment.
Even though there were actors pretending, many people still strongly objected.
Kanye West told Entertainment Week that although the music video features nudity, it is not vulgar. “I just wanted to talk about life behind fame,” the 39-year-old producer and singer said.
It is currently unclear whether or not the famous people mentioned in the clip will participate in this music project, but Kanye West has succeeded when the MV Famous is the center of public attention even though he only released it exclusively on the Tidal channel.
Previously, Kanye West also caused a stir when he claimed that Taylor Swift had “slept” with him in the early days of his career. This made many people “half-believe” the content that Kanye West expressed in the MV.
Twelve stars like you’ve never seen them before.
Kanye West debuted his long-awaited music video for “Famous” on Friday night at his sold-out event at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and let’s just say we saw a little more than we bargained for.
West shocked us all — but really, what did we expect? — as he unveiled his new video at the event (also live-streamed on TIDAL): the aftermath of what looks to be a celebrity orgy, featuring himself lying naked in bed with the likes of Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Amber Rose, and nine other famous faces.
From left to right, the video featured wax figurines of George Bush, Anna Wintour, Donald Trump, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Bill Cosby all lying in the nude.
The video is a commentary on celebrity culture, zooming in on many celebrities as West calls them out (Taylor Swift), or reveals how their personal moments were played out in the public eye.
An eyewitness tells ET that the crowd’s reaction to the controversial video was mixed. “Everyone [was shocked],” the eyewitness shared. “Lots of laughs and ‘Oh my gods,’ especially during the Taylor part and Bill Cosby close-up.”
Despite the mixed reaction during the event, it seems the overall response was positive. “As soon as it was over, everyone cheered and stood up and faced Kanye, who had a gigantic smile on his face,” the eyewitness said. The crowd went wild, and West played the video once more to cheers and applause.
Kanye West’s “Famous” will screen again on TIDAL at 11 p.m. PT on Friday.