Did You Know Kanye West’s Slavery Comments Stirred Outrage & Controversy?(Photo Credit – YouTube)
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Kanye West ignited a firestorm in 2018 with comments implying that black people shared some blame for their enslavement. In a interview, he stated, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years … that sounds like a choice.” The backlash was swift and fierce, shaking civil rights activism and sparking heated debates online. West later attempted to clarify on Twitter, saying, “Of course, I know that slaves did not get shackled by free will … we were mentally enslaved.”
Other musicians quickly joined the chorus of dissent. Talib Kweli expressed his disappointment, tweeting, “I will always love Kanye West, but bro out here putting targets on our backs. Slavery was not a choice.”
His poignant remarks underscored the gravity of West’s statements, suggesting that promoting free thought without proper research could inflict harm.
Piers Morgan, the show’s host, took to the Daily Mail, writing, “Of all the offensive things any public figure could say, this strikes me as right up with a denial of the Holocaust.”
Film director Spike Lee passionately responded, stating, “SLAVERY… A CHOICE’???” Lee’s emphasis on collective heritage served to remind everyone of the lasting impact of slavery, noting that it stripped families of their religion, culture, and lives.
Director Ava DuVernay, known for her work on Selma, condemned West’s remarks as “stratospheric in its audacity and ignorance.” Novelist Roxane Gay also criticized him, stating, “Kanye’s claim that slavery was a choice reinforces my earlier concerns about how dangerous his shallow, trite remarks are.” She bluntly labeled West a “free moron who doesn’t read,” a sentiment that resonated with many who felt his comments revealed a deeper issue of misinformation.
Actor Wendell Pierce, renowned for his role as Bunk in The Wire, stated, “Using the murder and holocaust of slavery for personal gain is central to your despicable appeasement of white supremacists.”
While West received criticism, he also found some support. Rapper the Game defended him, tweeting, “Kanye is a genius. Those who have never achieved greatness should not question it.”This defense, however, did little to drown out the overwhelming wave of condemnation that followed.
West had previously touched on themes of slavery in his music, notably in New Slaves, where he hinted at a modern kind of mental enslavement brought on by consumer culture.
