2015 MTV VMAs: Kanye West Says He'll Run For President in Vanguard Speech
The VMAs Vanguard Award winner had some strong things to say in his speech.
— -- Kanye West was honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at Sunday's 2015 MTV VMAs and a surprising star presented the rapper with the award -- Taylor Swift.
"I first met Kanye at this show actually," Swift joked about their infamous 2009 encounter, where West interrupted her speech. But Swift went on to say how much West has influenced her and her career.
"Kanye defines what it is to be a creative force in music, fashion and well, life," Swift, 25, gushed about her now "friend."
She then welcomed the rapper to the stage by shouting out his infamous "Imma let you finish” phrase he used to cut off the pop star six years ago.
Usually stern, West smiled as he took the stage, standing there for about five minutes not speaking while fans chanted "Yeezus."
"Listen to the kids!" he finally said. "Thank you Taylor for being so gracious and giving me this award this evening."
West then admitted he thinks about that moment all those years back, which put a stamp on his notorious reputation.
"I think about when I'm in the grocery store with my daughter and I have a great conversation and at that end, they say, 'Oh, you are not that bad after all.' ... I think if I had to do it all again, what would I have done?"
He continued, "If I had a daughter at that time, would have I gone on stage and grabbed the mic from someone else's? ... After that night, the stage was gone, but the affect it had on people remained."
The 38-year-old defended his right to fight for artists, but said he knows he can be disrespectful to others. "Sometimes I feel like I died for the artist to have an opinion after they were successful."
"I'm not no politician bro," he said before going into a short rant about award shows.
"I still don't understand awards shows," he said, saying they shouldn't get to judge creative artists. "I don't understand when the biggest album or the biggest video [doesn't win] ... I just want people to like me more, but f--- that bro!"
The rapper said he will die for the art and won't be polite. But then, he really dropped a bomb, whether he was joking or not.
After talking about "the kids" and how those in the future won't be controlled by brands, but taught to be free, he said, "I don't know what I'm going to lose for [saying] this. But it ain't about me. It's about ideas ... And yes, as you can guess, I have decided in 2020 to run for president."
West left the stage, hugged his wife and a shocked Swift, once again making headlines at award shows.