Last week, Kanye West premiered his new video for “Famous” at the Forum in Los Angeles. The video was subsequently streamed exclusively on TIDAL, and also received screenings on E! and at several theaters in New York City. Now, the video is finally available worldwide on YouTube. Watch above.
Quite literally the video features the aftermath of a celebrity orgy, featuring 12 A-listers lying naked in bed. Among them: Taylor Swift, Amber Rose, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Caitlyn Jenner, Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Anna Wintour, Ray J, Kim Kardashian West, and Kanye himself. While many of these people have played major parts in the narrative of Kanye’s decade-long career, the video more so looks to be a commentary on the celebrity paparazzi culture. Many of these celebrities have seen their most personal moments played out in the public eye, whether it be Rihanna’s abusive relationship with Chris Brown, Kim Kardashian West’s sex tape with Ray J, Caitlyn Jenner’s transition, or the accusations of racism Kanye leveled at President Bush. Kanye is not the first celebrity to equate tabloid culture to voyeurism, but he is the first to use it as a basis for a music video.
Despite using wax figures and prosthetics, the video has been met with mixed reception, with Lena Dunham accusing Kanye of glorifying rape culture. President Bush, meanwhile, say he was not accurately depicted (“He is in much better shape,” a spokesman said), and Stephen Colbert called out Kanye for excluding him from the video.
