Imma Let You FinishFrom WhatPort80 At MTV's 2009 Video Music Awards, Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech with what has become one of the most popular memes of 2009. Imma Let You Finish, also known as Yo X I'm Really Y For You has spawned thousands of variants and image macros. History and Theories Pre-Awards ShowAt the MTV VMAs, Kanye West had shown up on the red carpet, possibly drunk, carrying a bottle of Hennessey and passing it around with his girlfriend(?) and paparazzi, with many among them making comments on and asking if Kanye was going to be alright for the night. As some would recall, he'd had many issues with awards shows and drinking in the past, and with his mother dying some months before the VMAs, there were a lot of people worried he would do something as extreme or as drastic as what happened in Europe against Justice. Cut to a few minutes later, after Kanye West had made his way into the building, Taylor Swift shows up, amazed at the glitz and glamour of the night, and the fact that she was even competing against the likes of Lady GaGa, P!nk, Beyonce, and other professional musicians for an award. Indeed, the press seemed to be very praising of the young starlet's Cinderella-like story making it to the VMAs at only 19. The Awards ShowDuring a tribute to Michael Jackson, Kanye was allegedly taken aside and told he was not allowed to bring alcohol into the building, being that there's open bars within the Radio City Music Hall, and there's open container laws that were violated before waking into the building anyway. This made Kanye agitated, but he still proceeded to sit down while Madonna was talking about Michael Jackson on-stage. After the tribute was over, Russell Brand came out and began to warm up the crowd. After about 10 minutes of dialogue and comedy, he handed it over to Taylor Lautner (from the Twilight movie series) and Shakira to announce the first award for the evening. When Swift won said award, she proceeded up to the stage, completely amazed at winning for her song, "You Belong To Me." Kanye West, much to protest of his entourage, got up and walked onto stage as Swift began giving her speech. Off-camera, no one had realized he was on his way to the stage until he was, in fact, ON the stage. His immortal words "Imma let you finish..." became an instant internet meme. All of this can be viewed on MTV.
The audience gasped in disbelief and disgust as this interruption temporarily stopped the show as Kanye West was escorted out of the building. Eventually, he was allowed back in, but wouldn't win any awards for the night. Then, in what could only be described as a HUGE moment of IRL Troll's remorse from Beyonce, in Kanye's place; she called Taylor on-stage during her own nomination to nervously finish her speech. After all was done, the fallout during and after would haunt West, Swift, and his peers up until even this day. After Awards ShowDuring the PR control, he half-apologized in his blog, then appeared on the Jay Leno Show's premiere. Leno asked Kanye West if his mom would be disappointed in his actions. In almost a stoic tone, he agreed that he messed up, and at times before and during the performance with Jay-Z and Rihanna that night, seemed genuinely shaken and emotional. These feelings, assumed or real, would lead into thoughts of his being placed on suicide watch and claims he was involved in a car crash. He's been laying low since the cancellation of his tour with Lady GaGa, but there are even more rumors saying he may go to rehab, being work on a new album, or get out of the spotlight altogether for some time. Only time will truly tell. Variations and Images
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