Kanye West didn't play a joke on Beck and says the singer should give his award to Beyoncé

Los Angeles - Kanye West insists Beck should have given his Grammy Award to Beyoncé.

The outspoken rapper stormed the stage when the Devil's Haircut hitmaker picked up the Album of the Year prize for Morning Phase at Sunday night’s ceremony and though it had been assumed he was poking fun at the infamous night he interrupted Taylor Swift's MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) acceptance speech when she triumphed over Beyoncé in 2009, he insists he was serious and his Drunk in Love singer friend's snub was like being "smacked in the face".

Kanye - who turned and walked off stage without interrupting Beck - told E! News afterwards:

"I just know that the Grammys, if they want real artists, to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We ain't gonna play with them no more. And Beck needs to respect artistry and he should've given his award to Beyoncé.

"Because when you keep on diminishing art and not respecting the craft and smacking people in their face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you're disrespectful to inspiration. And we as musicians have to inspire people who go to work every day, and they listen to that Beyoncé album and they feel like it takes them to another place."

And the 37-year-old rapper - who was accompanied to the ceremony at Los Angeles' Staples Centre by wife Kim Kardashian West - admitted he terminated his protest early for the sake of his spouse and their 19-month-old daughter North.

He explained: "I got my wife, I got my daughter, and I got my clothing line, so I'm not going to do nothing to put my daughter at risk - but I am here to fight for creativity.

"That's the reason why I didn't say anything tonight. But you all know when it meant when 'Ye walked on that stage."

Check out the moment here: