Following the release of Taylor Swift‘s 10th album Midnights on October 21, 2022, many fans have noticed that her song “Vigilante S–t” sounds like it’s referencing a certain feud with a certain ex-manager, Scooter Braun. So, is Scooter the vigilante or her?! Keep reading find out everything we know including lyrics and meanings.
Explaining Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun’s Feud
For those who somehow don’t know, Taylor and Scooter’s beef is infamous — and goes pretty far back. In a nutshell, Taylor left Big Machine Records (where she recorded her first six albums) in 2018 and Scooter acquired them, which meant that he was in control of most of her work.
Obviously, Taylor was *not* happy about this. The songstress made things public in 2019 prior to her performance at the American Music Awards. In a November 14, 2019, Tumblr post titled “Don’t know what else to do,” Taylor slammed Scooter and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta for allegedly preventing her from performing her old songs during a medley at the 2019 AMAs, where Taylor received the Artist of the Decade award.
Scooter spoke publicly on the issue two days before the AMAS — after six months of silence — and called the entire thing a “miscommunication” at heart. After Taylor was able to perform her old and new songs at the 2019 AMAs — with lots of references and shade to her old record label — Scooter then sold the master rights to her first six albums for a reported $300 million in November 2020, allegedly behind her back.
Fans wondered if Taylor was connected to the investment fund that ended up buying her master rights, but she released a statement clarifying she wasn’t part of this deal at all and still does not own the masters. Soon after, she told fans she’s going to rerecord all her old music, hence Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version).
Why Do Fans Think Taylor Swift’s ‘Vigilante S–t’ Is About Scooter Braun?
In “Vigilante S–t,” Taylor opens the song by directly setting her intentions. “Draw the cat eyes sharp enough to kill a man,” she sings, and then adding a few lines later, “They say looks can kill, and I might try,” noting that she doesn’t dress for women or men, but “dresses for revenge.”
Fans immediately assumed that the receiver on the end of Taylor’s “revenge” was her ex-manager, Scooter. On top of that, Taylor accuses the person on the receiving line of infidelity. “She needed cold hard proof so I gave her some, she had the envelope, where you think she got it from?” she sings, the “she” seemingly referencing Yael Cohen Braunz, Scooter’s ex-wife whom he filed for divorce from in 2021.
“Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride. Picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife,” she croons. “And she looks so pretty, driving in your Benz. Lately she’s been dressing for revenge.”
“Vigilante Shit is actually hilarious,” one fan tweeted. “Blondie really aired out scooter braun’s entire family business to the masses like that I’m cryingkfjfjfj.”
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