Kanye West Explains “Slavery Was A Choice” Comments
American musician Kanye West has stirred up new controversy by suggesting that slaves in the USA were enslaved by choice. In an interview with a TMZ reporter, Kanye said: “When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice! “Like, you was there for 400 years, and it’s all […]
American musician Kanye West has stirred up new controversy by suggesting that slaves in the USA were enslaved by choice.
In an interview with a TMZ reporter, Kanye said: “When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice!
“Like, you was there for 400 years, and it’s all y’all? You know, it’s like, we’re mentally in prison. I like the word prison because slavery goes too direct to the idea of blacks.
“Prison is something that unites us as one race. Blacks and whites being one race. That we’re the human race.”
Kanye has been in the news a lot in the past fortnight. After a long silence from Twitter, the rapper has been back with a bang. Not with a new album, as you would think… but a new venture.
The American hip hop rapper said he is writing a book “in real time” on Twitter. Yes, he has already shared a stream of inspirational tweets, which we believe is part of his book.
Some tweets have drawn criticism including those where he has praised US President Donald Trump, and posted a picture of himself wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat.
Watch Kanye West talks to TMZ
After yesterday’s outburst, TMZ reporter Van Lathan told him: “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.
“Frankly, I’m disappointed. I’m appalled. And, brother, I’m unbelievably hurt by the fact that you have morphed into something that, for me, is not real.”
Kanye has since taken to Twitter (of course) to clarify his comments. He said it’s time to have an open discussion on “unsettled pain” and that “of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will.”
His point, he says, is that “we were mentally enslaved”.
He tweeted: “They cut out our tongues so we couldn’t communicate to each other. I will not allow my tongue to be cut… they hung the most powerful in order to force fear into the others… they can no longer stop our voice.”
Kanye said: “We are programmed to always talk and fight race issues. We need to update our conversation.
“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 then tweeted a quote by Harriet Tubman (former slave and political activist): “I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/986625837330923520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Just so you know, the rapper made it clear that his book that he’s writing in real time, does not need a publisher or publicist. “This is not a financial opportunity this is an innate need to be expressive,” he said on Twitter.
Tweets from Kanye West over the past fortnight:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/985671904202764288
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/985672020590546945
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/986302853047308288
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/986621133976887296
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/991511792168792066
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/991466590758518784