Kanye West Clarifies Comments On Race And Slavery: “I Am Being Attacked For Presenting New Ideas” – Update
UPDATED with tweets from Kanye West: Not too long after his free-thinking interview on TMZ Live, Kanye West took to Twitter to clarify the comments he made about race and how slavery was a choice.
In a series of tweets, the rapper defended his comments about slavery saying, “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.”
He added, “Once again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas.”
The stream of tweets added to the Kanye gospel. He stood his ground, mainly adding tweets about his philosophy of free-thinking. They ranged from the empowering to bizarre to fascinating, saying things like: “They cut out our tongues so we couldn’t communicate to each other. I will not allow my tongue to be cut” and “Kanye vs the media is modern day Willie Linch theory.”
Read his string of tweets below.
we need to have open discussions and ideas on unsettled pain
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
to make myself clear. Of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
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
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
They cut out our tongues so we couldn't communicate to each other. I will not allow my tongue to be cut
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
Kanye vs the media is modern day Willie Linch theory.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
they hung the most powerful in order to force fear into the others.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
they can no longer stop our voice.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
the Nat Turner movie never made it anywhere because it showed slaves revolting. I understand why my god brother Puff calls his network revolt.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
if this was 148 years ago I would have been more like Harriet or Nat
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
the universe has a plan. I knew that TMZ would be awesome.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
we are programmed to always talk and fight race issues. We need to update our conversation.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
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
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
once again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
in school we need to learn how magic Johnson built his business not always about the past. Matter fact I've never even heard of a high school class that presents future ideas
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
when the media masses and scholars talk about what started today. Here's a title …
the overground hell road
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 2, 2018
I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves. – Harriet Tubman
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 2, 2018
PREVIOUS: Kanye West continues to ride his tidal wave of free thought but this time he took his divisive philosophies from the confines from his Twitter timeline to the television where he talked about everything from his “boy” Trump to slavery to whatever else was on his mind. It was a wild crash course of Kanyeology 101.
In order for West to preach his Kanyeisms, TMZ provided him a soapbox to explain his recent tweets, behavior and everything else that he has done in recent history that has made people raise an eyebrow and second guess their membership the Kanye West fan club.
For some reason, the conversation took a turn to the topic of slavery where he said: “When you hear about slavery for 400 years — for 400 years? That sounds like a choice.”
He added, “You [were] 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. Slavery is to Blacks as the Holocaust is to Jews. Prison is something that unites as one race.” He goes on to say “that we’re the human race.”
Then he started waxing poetic on his favorite person: Donald Trump. As we all know, West hasn’t been shy about his support for Trump. The two were seen making nice at Trump Tower at the end of 2016. Many dragged him for meeting with the President-elect. More recently, he tweeted his praise for Trump and wore a “Make America Great Again” cap. He was immediately criticized for this but it didn’t bother West because he’s just living his best life.
“I just love Trump,” West said. He goes on to point out how rappers like Snoop Dogg used to love Trump and included him in their rap lyrics but as soon as he got into office “they don’t want to love him.”
“Trump is one of rap’s favorite people,” he said.
He then continues to talk about a myriad of topics including his recent Twitter frenzy where he pointed out that he is thinking and acting freely because “we don’t know how to think for ourselves.” He continues to dig deep into this philosophy with new age gravitas: “We don’t know how to feel for ourselves. People say, ‘Feel free,’ but they don’t really want us to feel free. I felt a freedom and first of all just doing something that everyone tells you not to do.”
Other topics he touched on was his 2016 hospitalization which he called a “breakthrough” rather than a “breakdown.” He talks about his battle with opioids after having liposuction and a bunch of other talking points that made the interview seem as coherent as Trump’s recent Michigan rally.
But all came to a head when he and TMZ reporter Van Lathan got into a heated discussion about West’s behavior and how it has affected how he is perceived by the Black community. Lathan said that he was “disappointed” and “appalled.”
Related Video: Kanye West Suggests Slavery was a 'Choice'
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