Ronnie Spector: Kanye West is 'a dick'

Former Ronettes singer Ronnie Spector is no fan of rapper Kanye West, and has called the controversial artist 'a dick' in a recent interview.

Spector, who rose to fame in the celebrated 1960s girl group, spoke of her disdain for West after being asked about his relations with paparazzi. 'I am not a fan of Kanye West. I don't mind Kim [Kardashian], but I just don't like that guy. I'm not a fan of how he speaks,' she said. 'He's a dick. I'm sorry. I don't like him. I'm just being honest,' she told the music blog Noisey.

The singer, 70, has been performing her two-hour show, Beyond the Beehive, which chronicles her 50-year career in rock'n'roll. In addition to discussing her time in the Ronettes, she spoke about the contemporary pop landscape, Lady Gaga ('Give me a break with the outfits. Just sing') and Spector's relationship with now-imprisoned producer Phil Spector, whom she married in 1968 and divorced in 1974 after spending five harrowing years locked in her own Hollywood home.

'At the beginning it was great. He was a great producer, we loved each other, [but] as soon as I got married I never went on stage again. I went through so much, but it made me stronger to come out now and tell my story. Now, women are more powerful than ever.'

Spector praised Eminem and Taylor Swift, and mentioned Amy Winehouse, whose career was inspired by the Ronettes. 'When I went to London and Amy Winehouse came to see my show, she looked just like me. She had the same hairstyle as me and everything. It scared me. I was on stage singing Back to Black and she was in the audience listening to me,' she said.

'I saw a tear out of her eye and it made me cry. To think, six months later she was dead. I was devastated. I said: 'There goes the Ronette that could have been me after I'm gone.' I was so sad when she died, I can't tell you. I put Back to Black in my show.'