'I thought it was great': Canadian producer Bob Ezrin on Kanye West's bitter Twitter firestorm
Rapper lashes out at longtime producer for criticizing music quality and album The Life of Pablo
Canadian music producer Bob Ezrin says he has no regrets about taking on Kanye West in a blog entry that sparked a firestorm of tweets from the rapper.
"I thought it was great," Ezrin told reporters at the Juno Awards' non-televised gala on Saturday night. "I didn't really expect it to blow up like that," he added.
The longtime Toronto-born producer received the Jack Richardson Producer of the Year award for his extensive work with artists like Pink Floyd, Taylor Swift, Lou Reed and Nine Inch Nails.
Ezrin suggested in the post that West's songs wouldn't stand the test of time when compared to icons of the genre like Jay Z, Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. When West caught wind of the criticism, he launched a flurry of tweets in response.
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"Has anybody ever heard of Bob Ezrin???" West tweeted a lengthy tirade about Ezrin's own career and his family. "Bob please never speak in public again."
West has taken to Twitter before with bizarre posts, claiming to be in major debt, battling Canadian DJ Deadmau5 over piracy issues and feuding with Taylor Swift over his song Famous.
Ezrin said he was surprised to be on the receiving end of West's angry tweets and all of the attention he generated. "I went to bed blissfully unaware on Sunday night and woke up to like a changed world on Monday morning," Ezrin said.
In his tweets, West had also promised to send Ezrin's kids free Yeezys — the high-priced shoes he produces with Adidas. West said it would "make up for the embarrassment that you have caused your family."
Ezrin had a message to send back to Kanye: "My children are still waiting for their Yeezys."