Kanye West suggests slavery was “a choice” in controversial TMZ interview

His comments have been widely condemned.

Kanye West has courted much controversy since his return to Twitter last month, doubling down on his support for US President Donald Trump, and vocally advocating several right wing pundits. On Monday evening, he gave an interview to celebrity news outlet TMZ, where he suggested that the slavery of African Americans had been “a choice”. He told TMZ:

"When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice."

He continued, saying: "We're mentally imprisoned." He also reiterated his support for the president, saying “I just love Trump, that’s my boy.” https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/991400616147804161 The comments have been widely condemned. TMZ’s Van Lathan confronted West directly in the studio. https://twitter.com/Chloe_Hilliard/status/991423641278668800 He has also face much criticism on social media. https://twitter.com/stephenasmith/status/991507260160598018

FYI, we’re not denigrating/making fun of our ancestors. We’re just pointing out the ludicruous nature of Kanye (and white supremacists) subscribing to the idea slavery was optional + the erasure of our ancestors’ frequent revolts & uprisings during the time#IfSlaveryWasAChoice

— X (@XLNB) May 2, 2018

https://twitter.com/BrendanMcGuirk/status/991467220214669312 West later tweeted about his comments, including using a discredited quote from abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman. https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/991459400018624512?tfw_creator=BBCNews&tfw_site=BBCNews&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld-us-canada-43970903 https://twitter.com/muskovitz/status/991477228415475712 https://twitter.com/BSO/status/991477594745786368