Justin Timberlake: 'I absolutely love Kanye'

Justin Timberlake: ‘I absolutely love Kanye’

By Gerrick D. Kennedy

March 12, 2013 12 AM PT

Just as we were giving Justin Timberlake a bit of credit for his sly comeback to Kanye West, the singer is already backtracking.

In case you missed it during Timberlake’s guest stint on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend, he switched the lyrics to his hit “Suit & Tie,” which appeared to be a witty retort to West’s diss of Timberlake’s laid-back comeback record

“My hit’s so sick, got rappers acting dramatic,” Timberlake coolly sang.

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Last month during a show in London, West told an audience, “I got love for Hova, but I ain’t ... with that ‘Suit & Tie.’ ”

On the first night of his week-long residency on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” on Monday, Timberlake put the brakes on any talk of a simmering feud with the rapper.

“Did it seem that way? I don’t remember that … Did I change a line? It is live,” Timberlake said with a grin. “You know, really, everyone, keep calm.”

“Let me just, for the record, “ Timberlake later clarified. “I absolutely love Kanye. So there’s that. We love Kanye, right?”

Might be a smart move to squash the beef, considering Timberlake’s summer plans to tour with West’s BFF (and “Suit & Tie” collaborator) Jay-Z. Otherwise, it could stall a rumored sequel to “Watch the Throne” -- or at least make play dates with West’s impending baby and Hov’s precious Blue Ivy all the more awkward.

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