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Kanye West’s controversial comments during a Feb. 13 taping of VH1′s Storytellers will be cut before the show airs this Sunday, Reuters reports.

The rapper defended Chris Brown, downplayed Michael Phelps’ controversial pot pics and slammed Radiohead during the show’s three-hour taping on Feb. 13 in L.A.

In the style of Storytellers episodes, VH1 filmed West — known for his outspoken personality — as he played his songs in an intimate setting and shared tidbits with the audience about how they were written. His controversial comments ended up on the cutting room floor, but not for political reasons, executive producer Bill Flanagan told Reuters.

“Can’t we give Chris a break?” West said to the crowd regarding Brown’s arrest for allegedly beating his girlfriend, Rihanna “I know I make mistakes in life.”

On a similar note, he earned applause for his support of other stars who have seen their share of scandal.

“Michael Jackson, amazing,” the hip-hop star said. “Michael Phelps, amazing. He’s a real f—in’ person. He makes mistakes.”

VH1 cleaned up those comments, which included his less-popular follow-up observation: “OJ Simpson, amazing. Is he not? What
he did, when he did, what he did. Was he not amazing, though?”

Flanagan defended West’s openness, as VH1 encourages the artist “to just keep talking,” and producers will then “eliminate any ‘gotcha’ moments” that don’t work.

Another conversation piece they will eliminate is West’s remarks about Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, who apparently snubbed him backstage at the Grammys five days earlier. That hurt, West told the audience, because he idolizes the British band and considers it one of his few creative rivals.

“So when he performed at the Grammys, I sat the f— down,” West said.

Overall, Flanagan said he was “pretty delighted” with the way West — who performed 14 songs during the taping — opened up to the crowd and took the whole project seriously.

“A lot of the stories that Kanye told went long,” Flanagan said on Thursday. “I tried to get to the essence of his comments.”

(source)

Brooke Crittendon is no stranger to the spotlight as a result of her past relationship with Kanye. Now she’s working to make a name for herself. She’s starring in Harlem Heights, a docu-drama highlighting the ups and downs of several young African-American professionals struggling to find love and success in the Big Apple.

About the Show:

Premiering on Monday, March 2nd @ 10 p.m., Harlem Heights will provide a window into the fascinating world of New York’s young, Black and fabulous crowd. Set against the backdrop of the increasingly gentrified neighborhood of Harlem, the series features a diverse cast of eight young adults from different backgrounds who share common goals — making the post-college leap into adulthood and finding love and success in the big city on their own terms.

Each person joins the series at a defining moment in his or her life. From the beautiful, bewitching ex-girlfriend of an international music superstar who is trying to carve out her own identity; to a budding magazine lifestyle editor who seeks to shed the label of “spoiled rich kid” by striking out on his own; the struggling actress trying to balance her social life with her career ambitions; a young man with a troubled family past attempts to find success and give back to his community while overcoming his fear of failure; to a native Harlem-ite who HAS turned his life around to make a way for his young daughter; to the hard partying son of a prominent Harlem political leader who struggles to live up to his father’s clean cut reputation and explores a future in politics; an aspiring lawyer with big ambitions and even bigger opinions to the driven fashionista seeking to maintain her A-list aspirations.

Every cast member moved to the big city with dreams of living the good life. But in New York, dreams can easily turn into nightmares if you lose your focus and your way.

Here’s a preview:

Check out all the rest at:

http://www.bet.com/harlemheights

“VH1 Storytellers: Kanye West” Premieres Saturday, February 28 at 9pm (ET/PT) Taped at The Sony Stages in Los Angeles Kanye West gives fans an intimate performance in this episode of VH1 Storytellers. The hour long show will feature West performing songs from his critically acclaimed album 808’s & Heartbreak in addition to past hits. Following in the “Storytellers” format, viewers will get a unique opportunity to hear the inspiration and stories behind each song.

Photo Credit : Def Jam

Kanye West has never been one for being modest. Now the hip-hop star says he wants to “have less fans” and eventually pose naked.

“I wanna make popular music, but I want less fans,” West tells Vibe magazine in its February issue. “I want the freedom of having less fans. It’s like the freedom of having less money. If you have less money, you have less responsibility.”

West, 31, later clarified that by “less fans” he meant having a core devotees of 20,000 who understand him, rather than a massive group of 100,000 followers who like him because he’s the popular singer of the moment.

The outspoken Grammy award winning rapper’s desires may disappoint some fans but he says he strives for a low-key career like singer Björk.

“It’s like Björk. If she wanted to pose naked, you’d be like: ‘Oh, that’s Björk,’” West said. “But if I wanted to pose naked, people would draw all type of things into it.”

Will a striptease be happening any time soon? “I definitely feel like, in the next however many years, if I work out for two months, that I’ll pose naked. I break every rule and mentality of hip-hop, of black culture, of American culture.”

(source)