Kanye West's Apology to Taylor Swift on Jay Leno Premier

After a sobering misstep into the wrong limelight, Kanye West found out what it means to err in the face of humanity. At the MTV VMAs, as the young, pure, 19-year-old emerging talent Taylor Swift graciously accepted the Best Female Video award, Kanye filched the mic to deliver an unplanned aria-but his tone was off key. The outburst resonated through TV sets and blog sites like a shock heard around the world. And yet, Kanye had the chutzpah to show up for the premier of Jay Leno's new NBC talk show the next night with fellow rapper Jay-Z and the resilient, strong-souled Rihanna.

Before performing, Leno gave Kanye a chance at redemption. With a grandfatherly tone, Jay (Leno, not Z) drilled Kanye with stinging questions. Speaking briefly of Kanye's mother, Leno questioned, "What would she think about this?" Leno's bold question left West wordless-a far cry from his unwarranted romp a night ago. Coming from the mass media sensation, the silence spoke louder than any words he could have mustered. When speech returned to him, Kanye stated, "I'm just ashamed that my hurt caused someone else's hurt."

Luckily for Kanye, Joe Wilson wasn't in the studio. The crowd seemed to accept the apology and rightly so. Credit is given where credit is due, and Kanye's regret seemed sincere. That credit may buy back legions of fans, but they are not the judge and jury. It was Swift whose respect was trod upon, and it is Swift who holds the power of pardon.

We all fault from time to time, but fortunately for most of us, it isn't on stage in front of millions of viewers. Fortunately for most of us, it isn't at the expense of a devout young gem like Taylor Swift. And fortunately for most of us, people will forget. Unfortunately for Kanye, he is not most of us. His musical legacy will inevitably be marred by this event and that is something he will have to accept. A little R&R will do him good. He might even learn a thing or two in the process. With little doubt, Kanye will return, but don't be surprised if his next album is titled "Back to School."