NEW YORK: Kanye West on Wednesday urged an overhaul of the Grammys to award commercially successful musicians, even as the rapper toned down his criticism of this year’s surprise winner Beck.

The famously mercurial West stole the spotlight at the music industry’s awards night Sunday when he rushed toward the stage as Beck — the innovative rocker who has enjoyed critical acclaim, if a niche following, for two decades — accepted the Album of the Year award for his lush, melancholy “Morning Phase.”

Soon after the broadcast, West said that Beck should “respect artistry” and give his award to superstar Beyonce for her self-titled album, one of her most intense works which features the ode to marital bliss “Drunk In Love” sung with husband Jay-Z.

West on Wednesday insisted that he did not mean to insult Beck, calling the 44-year-old Los Angeles alternative rocker “one of the nicest guys and one of the most respected musicians in the game.”

But West, alluding to Beyonce’s well-received Gospel-inspired performance at the live-broadcast ceremony, accused the Grammys of “capitalizing off the amount of views Beyonce gets for them.”

“There has to be some level of respect for the people that they have there to sell advertising for them,” he told radio host Ryan Seacrest.

West, the husband of the thrice-married socialite Kim Kardashian, compared the Grammys to spouses who “get a divorce with us every year, and break our dreams every year.”

The rapper threatened to boycott future Grammys if the Recording Academy, which runs the awards, did not reform the voting process to recognize commercial success.

West has won 21 Grammys, making him one of the most awarded artists ever. He performed at the latest Grammys in a collaboration with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and R&B singer Rihanna.