Imma Let You Finish, Beck: Kanye Almost Hijacks Grammys

Beck scored something of an upset at 2015 Grammy Awards Sunday night when his Morning Phase won Album of the Year over the likes of Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell, and Beyoncé. Beck’s triumph was nothing in comparison, however, to the little surprise Kanye West had saved up for that very moment.

The rapper quickly took the stage, approached Beck with a determined look on his face, and then — just as quickly — shook his head and returned to his seat.

The gag, of course, referenced West’s most infamous rant in his long history of rants: Storming onstage at the 2009 VMAs to grab a trophy out of a startled Taylor Swift’s hands, while announcing “Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! Of all time!” The moment, alternately memed as “Kanye Interrupts” or “Imma Let You Finish,” became a social media sensation.

Swift had won Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me,” beating out West buddy Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” — not quite as big a stunner as Beck topping Bey’s self-titled smash hit release, to be sure. (There apparently are no hard feeling between Swift and West; they were buddy-buddy backstage at the Grammys.)

As for Kanye’s Sunday hijinks, the most amusing/overlooked aspect might have been Prince’s deadpan expression, as he watched from the sidelines while the crowd erupted. Beck himself was unfazed by the joke, choosing instead to let the moment pass without comment.

We can’t help but wonder: Did West have an alternate gag prepared in case Queen Bey did win? Imma going to have to let you all finish that one for yourselves.

At any rate, the third time proved to be the charm for Beck in the arena of Album of the Year — before Sunday, the alt-rock veteran been 0-for-2 in that category, nominated for 1996’s Odelay and 1999’s Midnite Vultures.

UPDATE: Backstage, Kanye made it clear that his gesture was no joke and he was no fan of Beck’s surprise win. “We as musicians have to inspire people who go to work every day and they listen to that Beyoncé album and they feel like it takes them to another place. … Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé,” the rapper told E! News after the ceremony. “If the Grammys want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us.”