Kanye West has attempted to clarify the controversial comments he made about slavery during his appearance on TMZ Live.
The 40-year-old has been at the centre of a media storm since he aired his support for Donald Trump on Twitter – and now he’s landed himself in even more hot water.
The Yeezy designer was interviewed live in the TMZ office yesterday, where he spoke about becoming addicted to opioids after having liposuction in 2016 – which led to his hospitalisation.
However, at another point during the conversation, Kanye said, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years … for 400 years? That sounds like a choice.”
WOW.. Kanye West just told the TMZ newsroom that 400 years of slavery was a choice for black people.
TMZ employee Van Lathan fires back, “Frankly, I’m disappointed, I’m appalled, and brother I’m unbelievably hurt.”pic.twitter.com/fKSyNK33Wd
— Together we rise ???????? (@Matsamon) May 1, 2018
“Like, you was there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all? It’s like we’re mentally in prison. I like the word prison because slavery goes too direct to the idea of blacks.
“It’s like slavery, Holocaust. Holocaust, Jews. Slavery is blacks. So, prison is something that unites us as one race. Blacks and whites being one race. We’re the human race,” he added.
Naturally, Kanye’s comments sparked immediate backlash, and TMZ writer Van Lathan was quick to confront him.
After Kanye shouted across the TMZ office, “Do you feel that I’m feeling … do you feel that I’m being free and I’m thinking free?” Van stood up and replied, “I think what you’re doing right now is actually the absence of thought.”
“Kanye, you’re entitled to your opinion … You’re entitled to believe whatever you want, but there is fact and real world, real life consequence behind everything you just said,” he continued.
“And while you are making music and being an artist and living the life that you’ve earned by being a genius, the rest of us in society have to deal with these threats to our lives.
“We have to deal with the marginalisation that has come from the 400 years of slavery that you said for our people was a choice. I am unbelievably hurt by the fact that you have morphed into something, to me, that is not real,” Van added.
we got love. Doing TMZ live with Harvey and Candace Owens pic.twitter.com/yoZdHwpdis
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
The situation sparked a massive discussion on Twitter, which led to Kanye attempting to clarify his comments.
The father-of-three tweeted, “To make myself clear. Of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will.”
“My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved. They cut out our tongues so we couldn’t communicate to each other. I will not allow my tongue to be cut.”
“We are programmed to always talk and fight race issues. We need to update our conversation,” he continued.
“The reason why I brought up the 400 years point is because we can’t be mentally imprisoned for another 400 years. We need free thought now. Even the statement was an example of free thought. It was just an idea… once again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas.”
Last night, Kanye also shared a lengthy interview he recorded with US radio DJ Charlemagne.
In the almost two hour long interview, Kanye spoke about his mental breakdown, and how the robbery of his wife Kim Kardashian West in Paris affected him.
