The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

Kanye West talks Donald Trump and TMZ slavery comments in new interview

'Look in my eyes right now — you see no sunken place'

Jack Shepherd
Monday 25 June 2018 11:15 BST
Comments
Kanye West’s latest album, ‘ye’, ​directly confronted speculation about his mental health (Getty)
Kanye West’s latest album, ‘ye’, ​directly confronted speculation about his mental health (Getty)

Kanye West’s recent album roll-out has been baffling.

Before the record reached streaming services, the musician publicly revealed himself as a Donald Trump supporter, going against the resounding majority of his fans.

Soon after, during an interview with TMZ, West caused further controversy by saying 400 years of slavery “sounded like a choice”. All the while, West Tweeted sporadic thoughts about being diagnosed as bi-polar and dragon energy.

With his eighth studio album, ye, finally out on streaming services, The New York Times has published an in-depth interview with the rapper.

The first talking point concerns Trump. West explains that there are certain expectations being a ‘successful black man’ in America, one of them being that you vote democrat.

“Man, I had my [retracted expletive] castrated: ’You have to like Hillary [Clinton]. That’s got to be your choice,’” he said.

Asked whether that was family telling him to vote for Clinton, West answered: “The family meaning the world — because you’re black, because you make very sensitive music, because you’re a very sensitive soul, it was like an arranged marriage or something. And I’m like, that’s not who I want to marry. I don’t feel that.

“I believe that I’m actually a better father because I got my [expletive] voice back, I’m a better artist because I got my voice back. I was living inside of some universe that was created by the mob-thought, and I had lost who I was, so that’s when I was in the sunken place. You look in my eyes right now — you see no sunken place."

Questioned further about Trump, West added “I don’t agree with all of his policies” and, according to the interviewer, at one moment commented that ‘Bernie Sanders could have been Trump’s vice president’.

The 41-year-old soon moved onto discussing the controversial TMZ interview. Asked to clarify whether he really meant ‘slavery was a choice,’ west answered: “Well, I never said that.”

Amazon Music logo

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 30-day free trial

Sign up
Amazon Music logo

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 30-day free trial

Sign up

“I said the idea of sitting in something for 400 years sounds — sounds — like a choice to me, I never said it’s a choice,” he added. ”I never said slavery itself — like being shackled in chains — was a choice. That’s why I went from slave to 400 years to mental prison to this and that. If you look at the clip you see the way my mind works.

“I think an extreme thing; I adjust it, I adjust it, I adjust it. That’s the way I get to it, but I have to push to, you know, the furthest concept possible.”

Speaking further about the framing of the quote, West compared himself to being in court for a robbery he did not commit. “I’m having to somehow reframe something that I never said,” he said. ”I feel stupid to have to say out loud that I know that being put on the boat was — but also I’m not backing down, bro. What I will do is I’ll take responsibility for the fact that I allowed my voice to be used back to back in ways that were not protective of it when my voice means too much.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in