Jay-Z is defending Kanye West and his tacky outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City last weekend, chalking his former protege’s behavior up to “passion.” Uh-huh….we’ll believe that when pigs have wings.

Kanye has been under fire since her famously interrupted 19-year-old country star Taylor Swift as she was accepting her Best Female Video Moonman to tell the audience that the award should have gone to Jay-Z’s wife, R&B diva Beyonce.

“He’s just a super-passionate person,” Jay said speaking to the BBC Radio 1′s Jo Whiley on Friday.

Nonetheless, Jay-Z admits the incident was “inappropriate at the time.”

“Of course it was rude because it was her moment but that’s the way he really felt.” But he added, “I think it was rude but the way they’re treating him… He’s on the cover of every paper. He didn’t kill anybody. No one got harmed.”