Tape of Kanye West ranting post-VMA Taylor Swift incident leaks online

An alleged tape recording of Kanye West in, well, his now infamous rant mode has surfaced online, showing the rapper’s initial reaction after he interrupted Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV VMAs.

West landed himself in hot water after taking to the stage in protest of Swift being handed the ‘Best Video’ accolade over Beyonce, who the hip-hop star clearly felt was more deserving. Despite later apologising, West doesn’t seem too regretful in this tape – uncovered by Gawker.

In it, West rants about MTV choosing Pink to perform live (How the fuck Pink perform two songs and I didn’t even get asked to perform “Heartless”), his commitment to his art (“I’m pushing the envelope! I wrote my fuckin’ ‘Run This Town’ verse for a fuckin’ month!”), his then-recent passing of his mother (“My mother died because of this shit. Fuck MTV”) and how he’ll never stop standing up for what he believes in (“As long as I’m alive, you gon’ have to deal with it. ‘Cause there ain’t gonna be no more motherfucking Elvises with no James Browns”).

Listen in full below:

And read the full transcription beneath:

I’d rather just let the speak for itself. You know, it’s like, I was happy to be in a situation where people couldn’t say, oh, I was trying to promote my own song. For the times that I’ve, like, defended myself… I’m pushing the envelope! I wrote my fuckin’ ‘Run This Town’ verse for a fuckin’ month! When I heard Eminem’s verse on the Drake shit, I went back and rewrote my shit for two days. I canceled appointments to rewrite! I fuckin’ care! You know what I’m saying? And that’s what I’m saying. Because I did that, Taylor Swift cannot win over Beyoncé! Because I wrote my verse in two days, Taylor Swift cannot beat Beyoncé. As long as I’m alive! And if I’m alive, kill me then! Kill me then! As long as I’m alive, you gon’ have to deal with it. ‘Cause there ain’t gonna be no more motherfucking Elvises with no James Browns.

Because my mother got arrested for the fuckin’ sit-ins. My mother died for this fame shit! I moved to fuckin’ Hollywood chasing this shit. My mother died because of this shit. Fuck MTV.

It ain’t no love. What the fuck was Pink performing? Don’t nobody know that song. Pink performed twice! Two songs? How the fuck Pink perform two songs and I didn’t even get asked to perform “Heartless.” “Heartless” is the biggest song of the year! It had the most spins of the first quarter! I don’t know that Pink song! But I noticed that she’s pink! They put me in a fuckin’ room and .

Eminem won Best Video! Rap Video! Yo, when he wont that shit, I was so happy. I was so happy I . I said, “Nigga, I’m gon’ do this until y’all put a bullet in my head. I’m runnin’ up to y’all, put a…” .