Quentin Tarantino Rejects Kanye's "Django Unchained" Claims

Ye said Tarantino stole his idea & made "Django Unchained," but the famed filmmaker is saying that wasn't the case.

BYErika Marie
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Tarantino, Kanye West

There has been an unexpected influx of Kanye West-related news as of late. Aside from his controversial statements, the backlash has stolen attention as the mogul reportedly lost $2 billion in one day. This hasn't stopped West from tripling down on his troubling remarks and taking to platforms to defend his position.

Now that Elon Musk is the new, official head of Twitter, West's account has reportedly been reinstated. It is a move that has ignited the internet this afternoon (October 28), but many are shifting focus to Quentin Tarantino's recent response to Ye's claim that the famed filmmaker stole his idea for Django Unchained.

“Tarantino can write a movie about slavery where – actually him and Jamie, they got the idea from me because the idea for ‘Django,’ I pitched to Jamie Foxx and Quentin Tarantino as the video for ‘Gold Digger,’” West told Piers Morgan. “And then Tarantino turned it into a film.”

However, while on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Tarantino rejected Ye's recounting of their conversation. West allegedly contacted Tarantino because he wanted to hire several directors to helm the music videos for his College Dropout tracks.

"I'd had the idea for a while before I ever met Kanye," said the Oscar winner. "He did have an idea for a video, and I do think it was for the 'Gold Digger' video, that he would be a slave, the whole thing was the slave narrative, where he's the slave, and he's singing 'Gold Digger.' And it was very funny. It was a really, really funny idea."

"It was meant to be ironic, it's like a huge musical. I mean, like, no expenses spared, all right? With him in this, like, slave rag outfit doing everything. Then that was also part of the pushback on it. But, I wish he had done it. It sounded really cool. Anyway, that's what he's referring to."

Tarantino remarked that featuring a narrative about an enslaved Black person was the only similarity to West's idea. Following Ye's White Lives Matter presentation at Paris Fashion Week, Django star and "Gold Digger" singer Jamie Foxx penned a lengthy message about supporting Black Lives Matter.

Soon after Foxx shared his post, West declared that he wanted the actor to portray him in a biopic.

Check out Tarantino on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.

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About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.