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Listen to the Kanye West 911 call

Published Dec 2nd, 2016 8:51AM EST
Kanye West 911 Call
Image: Jason Persse

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Dr. Michael Farzam was calm and collected as he spoke to a 911 dispatcher in late November from inside Kanye West’s home. Recently released audio of the 911 call suggests that his demeanor was in stark contrast to that of his patient shortly ahead of his hospitalization. While the exact reason for West’s hospitalization last month remains unknown, Dr. Farzam can be heard expressing concerns for West’s mental health. The doctor even went as far as to request police backup for the paramedics, seemingly out of fear that emergency medical personnel would be ill-equipped to handle West in his state at the time.

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Portions of the 911 call that sent the rapper to the hospital were released this week. The call, placed on November 21st by a man TMZ has identified as West’s personal physician, suggests that the high-profile artist may have been having a serious episode. “I request if we can have some police backup because… I don’t think that paramedics… you know,” Farzam can be heard saying.

Farzam continued, later in the call, “He’s definitely going to need to be hospitalized. I wouldn’t just do the police by itself.”

An unidentified source said to be close to West and his wife, reality star Kim Kardashian, told People that West is now home with his family. “Kanye is at home with Kim and the kids. He seems okay and happy to be home. Kim’s family is visiting,” the person said. “Kanye will continue to receive treatment and help with how to cope with stress. He needs to learn how to better balance his work and family life.”

Portions of the 911 call can be heard in the embedded video below. According to police, parts of the call have been redacted in order to prevent the disclosure of confidential information pertaining to West’s health information.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.