Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West — A Decade of War

It started with Kanye grabbing Taylor's mic at the 2009 VMAs — the moment that launched a 15-year cultural Cold War. Kanye's "Famous" lyric ("I made that b**** famous") in 2016 reignited it. Kim released an edited phone call. Taylor's reputation was destroyed. Then Reputation (the album) debuted with 1.216 million first-week sales — the biggest opening in five years. Taylor used the feud as rocket fuel for an era that culminated in the $2.2 billion Eras Tour. Kanye lost Adidas, Gap, and his reputation. Taylor became the richest musician alive. Spite pays, but only if you channel it correctly.