Kanye West 'cautioned by Taylor Swift about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message'

Swift's publicist denies West contacted the singer for approval

West and Swift at the 2015 Grammy awards ( Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)

Despite more than 20 million viewers watching, more tweets about it than the Democrat debate and an array of high-profile individuals spotted in the audience, not everyone was happy with Kanye West’s extravagant fashion show-come-album release launch at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Gardens on Thursday.

Friends of Taylor Swift expressed their disappointment over a lyric on his new song “Famous”, from the much-anticipated album T.L.O.P., in which he raps: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that b***h famous.”

After Swift’s brother Austin threw his Yeezy trainers in the rubbish and her friend Ruby Rose criticised West on Twitter, it emerged Swift herself reportedly warned West of “releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message”.

After TMZ reported a claim the Style singer had approved the lyric her representatives told the Independent this was not the case.

“Kanye did not call for approval," the statement said, "But to ask Taylor to release his single “Famous” on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that bitch famous’.”

West and Swift’s infamous feud began after he stormed the stage at the 2009 MTV VMAs to interrupt her acceptance speech, protesting that Beyoncé was more deserving of the accolade.

But they eventually put the incident behind them and have been seen together in public numerous times. In 2015, Swift told Vanity Fair it was mutual friend Jay-Z who helped to make amends between the pair and at last year’s VMAs it was Swift who presented West with the MTV Vanguard award and gushed over his music while even making light of the 2009 incident.