EXCLUSIVE

Kanye West personally called Taylor Swift late last month to tell her about a lyric in his song ... "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex, I made that bitch famous."

Sources directly connected with Swift tell TMZ Kanye called her to explain it was a joke and wanted to make sure she wouldn't be upset. We're told Swift said she got the joke and gave him the thumbs up to release the song with the lyric.

We're told Kanye and Taylor have been cool with each other since shortly after the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when he jacked her moment onstage. The 2 speak on the phone from time to time and are on friendly terms.