Kanye West believes "a spirit was speaking through" him when he made his controversial comments about slavery.
The 41-year-old rapper received backlash after he gave an interview three months ago in which he claimed the 400 years of black slavery was a "choice" made by those enslaved, and after finally apologising for the comments earlier this week, he has now said he was being contacted by a "negro spiritual" at the time.
He said: "I think in that moment, I believe a spirit was speaking through me, to me. Because I even have been in situations where I choose to be enslaved, I choose to not diversify, I choose to wade in the water as the like … certain negro spirituals basically tell us to stay in this place and be okay."
The ‘Gold Digger’ hitmaker called on people to look at "other cultures" to find the best ways to deal with things such as family and finances, and said it’s time people stopped "limiting" themselves through definitions.
Speaking during an appearance on Chicago radio station Power 92, Kanye said: "A lot of times we’re just programmed or wired to think like that, but we’ve gotta unprogram and look at things that are happening in other cultures, and the way that other cultures deal with each other, deal with family, deal with money, and apply that. Don’t say ‘Well it ain’t black to do it,’ because what’s the definition of black? We’re constantly changing the definition of black, and we can’t be limited or overly defined because definitions can limit you."
Earlier this week, Kanye finally addressed the controversial comments he had made back in May, saying he was sorry to anyone he had offended.
He said: "I don’t know if I properly apologised for how that slave comment made people feel, so I want to take this moment right now to say that I’m sorry for hurting.
"I’m sorry for the 1-2 effect of the MAGA [Make America Great Again] hat into the slave comment and I’m sorry for people who felt let down by that moment."
In his original interview in May, Kanye had said: "When you hear about slavery for 400 years – for 400 years? That sounds like a choice."
Kanye West: A spirit was speaking through me during slavery comments
