Kanye West appears to be the latest target of Taylor Swift’s playful teasing after falling short of landing a 12th number one album on the charts. On August 15th, Swift released a new digital edition of her album The Tortured Poets Department, featuring a live version of her track “Thank You Aimee.” This updated release showcases the title stylized as “thank You aimEe,” with capital letters “Y” and “E”—a subtle nod to Kanye West. Earlier, Swift had used “thanK you aIMee,” which many speculated was a dig at West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.
This latest move comes after Swift scored a win over Kanye West on the charts. Last week, The Tortured Poets Department reclaimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200, edging out West’s new album, Vultures 2, which features Ty Dolla $ign. Vultures 2 sold 107,000 equivalent units in its debut week, falling short of Swift’s 142,000 units in her album’s 14th week. This marked the first time since Kanye’s 2004 debut The College Dropout that he did not top the chart, denying him the opportunity to rank fourth in the all-time number one albums on the Billboard 200 list.
Despite this setback, Kanye’s album stirred some controversy. Ed Kelce, father of Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, took to Facebook to criticize Kanye for the song “Lifestyle,” which features Lil Wayne and includes a mention of Swift. Kelce expressed his discontent with Kanye, labeling it as “Mental illness on full display.”
Additionally, Swift’s producer, Jack Antonoff, voiced his disdain for Kanye in a recent Los Angeles Times interview. Antonoff said, “I’m a little bitch sometimes… But you come after my friend Taylor, you’re toast to me.” He further dismissed Kanye’s recent actions as “a remarkable waste of space,” showing his disinterest in Kanye’s attempts to stay relevant.