Kanye West told the TMZ newsroom why he believes slavery is a choice and why he decided to sport his Make America Great Again hat … and it all went down Tuesday morning on “TMZ Live.”
Kanye appeared on the show with Candace Owens where they explained “free thought” and how it can make the world a better place … from a place of love.
During the conversation Kanye said, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice.”
Van from our newsroom took great offense and fired back. Things got intense and ultimately led to a face-to-face at Van’s desk.
There’s A LOT more that went down — and it’s all on today on “TMZ Live”
Lathan said he was “disappointed,” “appalled,” and “unbelievably hurt” that West had “morphed into something, to me, that’s not real.”
— Elliott Wilson (@ElliottWilson) May 1, 2018
West also drew immediate criticism online with writers and political commentators calling his comments trite and dangerous.
I don’t have the energy for nonsense but Kanye saying slavery was a choice reiterates my previous statements about how dangerous his trite, shallow ramblings are. He is not a free thinker. He is a free moron who doesn’t read. Do not @ me.
— roxane gay (@rgay) May 1, 2018
Kanye is a dangerous caricature of an “free thinking” black person in America. Frankly, I am disgusted and I’m over it. Also (I can’t believe I have to say this): Slavery was far from a choice.
— Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) May 1, 2018
me in 2005: im so proud of kanye for telling the truth abt george bush not caring about black people. it needed to be said.
me in 2018: im so proud of the black tmz dude for telling the truth abt kanye not caring about black people. it needed to be said.
— Tracy the Clayton (@brokeymcpoverty) May 1, 2018
Kanye’s rhetoric continues to fuel the racist right-wing folks who believe that black people are responsible for their oppression.
— deray (@deray) May 1, 2018
Last week, West shared images of himself wearing one of President Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hats. The photos drew attention from fans and critics alike, including praise from the president, who said he loved the support.
West explained Tuesday that he felt a freedom in sharing the photos.
“It was really just my subconscious. It was a feeling I had, you know. Like, people — we’re taught how to think. We’re taught how to feel. We don’t know how to think for ourselves. We don’t know how to feel for ourselves,” he continued. “People say ‘feel free,’ but they don’t really want us to feel free. I felt a freedom, first of all, in doing something that everybody tells you not to do.”
