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“Beck needs to respect artistry, and he should have given his award to Beyoncé,” said the ‘Heartless’ rapper Kanye West — no pun intended. On Sunday night, Beck took home the Grammy win in the Album of the Year category over the powerhouse that is Beyoncé, a travesty according to Kanye. “I’m not going to do nothing that would put my daughter at risk, but I am here to fight for creativity,” he continued. “That’s the reason why I didn’t say anything tonight. But you all knew what it meant when ‘Ye stepped on that stage.’In typical Kanye fashion, he sauntered onto the stage during Beck’s acceptance speech, ensuring that his presence and opinion would go uncontested. Yeezy is an enigma, talented and unpredictable, confident and seemingly non-remorseful, his many ironies penetrate the core of his music. The very essence of artistry is accepting its contagion — its variety of forms and innumerable ways of being impactful. Music, in particular, is universal and can resonate with the world over. Kanye’s distasteful assault on Beck challenges his inherent makeup as an artist — bearing the ability to acknowledge the soul of another’s work.For those who have listened to Beck’s work of art, “Morning Phase,” his brilliance is unquestionable. There is nothing more sweet than ‘Blue Moon’ — its harmony evokes nostalgia and transient memories of a familiar love. “Who is Beck” has been circulating throughout the Twitter-sphere since Sunday night’s Grammys — his ingenuity bound to resonate with the unfamiliar.Maybe Kanye was able to enliven the audience (after a three and a half hour ceremony, who wouldn’t need reviving?) with his humor and snarky demeanor. Perhaps it would be more satisfying to see Kanye out of character and applauding the ostensible underdog, promoting his fellow musicians, rather than taking away what was rightfully given to them and challenging their inherent artistry.Beck took Yeezy’s statements in stride, recognizing his contribution to the music industry: “[West] deserves to be onstage as much as anybody. How many great records has he put out in the last five years, right? I still love [West] and think he’s genius. I aspire to do what he does.”

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