'I just couldn't stop!' Kanye West gives the middle finger to critics of his Yeezy fashion show during Harper's Bazaar party performance
Kanye West has not taken criticism of his Yeezy Season 4 fashion show lying down.
On Friday night, during a performance at The Plaza Hotel in New York City for Harpers Bazaar's ICONS By Carine Roitfeld event, the rapper grew defiant, despite his gentler attitude to the matter on Twitter earlier that day.
Kanye was performing on stage when he suddenly gave the audience his middle finger, according to the Associated Press, later crowing: 'No matter what they write, I just couldn't stop!'
Getting testy: Kanye West lashed out at critics of his Yeezy season four fashion show during his performance at the Harper's Bazaar ICONS bash by giving the middle finger
His cry of triumph came at the end of a bit of a speech. 'At the beginning of this performance,' he'd said, 'I tried my best to not try.
'No, I tried to listen to all the reports and s*** and I tried my best to stop trying,' he went on. 'But I just couldn't do it! I couldn't stop!'
During a set that included Black Skinhead, Famous - the resuscitator of his notorious feud with Taylor Swift - and All Of The Lights, he gave the audience the middle finger.
The gesture reportedly came during the song Runaway, in which he repeatedly expresses a desire to 'have a toast' for a variety of people he describes as 'd*****bags,' 'a**holes' and 'scumbags.'
Triumphal return: The rapper was joined by his wife Kim Kardashian and her famous siblings
Striking back: He appeared to lash out at critics of his Yeezy Season 4 fashion show, saying: 'No matter what they write, I just couldn't stop!'
Gentler touch: At one point, Kanye expressed his gratitude to the fashion crowd, saying, 'I appreciate y'all going on this journey for me'
He did spend some of the concert, however, in a more reflective and magnanimous mood.
At one point, he expressed his gratitude to the fashion crowd, who'd embraced the musician's entrée into their industry.
'I appreciate y'all going on this journey for me,' he said. 'I appreciate all the years y'all put up with me learning in front of you and listening to the music at the same time.'
'I appreciate the moment when Carine put her friend on the cover,' he said, in a nod to former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld, who co-hosted Friday's event with Karl Lagerfeld, '- no, not this moment - I'm talking about when she put Tom Ford on the cover.
Capturing the moment: Kim was busy taking selfies
'And all you motherf***ers were like, "Oh, Carine [is] over!" She's a motherf***ing icon though. There's only one Carine.'
According to the AP, he dropped the mic before exiting, eliciting cheers.
On Wednesday, the 39-year-old had unveiled his latest collection with Adidas during a turbulent outdoor fashion show on Roosevelt Island.
As Femail have reported, the string of delays led to the show starting over an hour late.
Another leg: The show was the latest performance of his Saint Pablo Tour
The fashion industry attendees, who'd been bused into the event from Midtown Manhattan, had queue up near the deserted Smallpox Hospital before the event began.
Models began to faint in the heat, and in order to make it down the catwalk, model Amina Blue had to remove the shoes the Gold Digger singer had selected for her.
'This is shameful and horrible and I regret coming. #YeezySeason4,' tweeted Stella Bugbee, an editor of New York Magazine's The Cut.
Collaboration: The Yeezy Season 4 show on Wednesday debuted the 39-year-old's latest line with Adidas and took place on Roosevelt Island
Before his performance on Friday - to which his wife Kim Kardashian had accompanied him in a busty, lacy jumpsuit - he'd given what appeared to be a response to his critics on Twitter.
'It’s our life's mission to create the most transformative experiences,' he'd written, following up with, 'Each and every one’s time, insight and feelings are invaluable to us. We want to make people feel great.'
He went on to tweet: 'Thank you for embarking on this creative journey,' before signing off: 'With love and respect, Kanye West.'
At the concert that night, he'd been joined by not only his wife, but her youngest sister Kylie Jenner and Jenner's boyfriend Tyga. Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Kendall Jenner had turned up as well.
Under fire: Yeezy Season 4 started over an hour late and, as the show progressed, models began to faint in the heat, drawing heavy criticism
'We want to make people feel great': The Famous singer had given what seemed to be a more modulated response to the criticism on Twitter earlier that day
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