Kanye Westhas learned a lot from his recent controversies, but that doesn’t mean he’s backing down from his opinions.
During arevealing new interview with theNew York Times, the 41-year-old rapper opened up about the massive backlash following his TMZ Live interview in May, when he implied that slavery was a “choice.”
“I learned so much. I learned about the context of the idea of the word slave. I didn’t take it in that context,” West told the newspaper, before insisting that he “never” actually said that slavery was “a choice.”
“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. I never said slavery itself — like being shackled in chains — was a choice,” he explained.
While theYerapper went on to say if he could go back in time he wouldn’t have framed his comment as “a one-liner or a headline,” he doesn’t want to back down from what hemeantto say.
“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,” he added.
The rapper also went on to discuss his controversial embrace ofDonald Trump, whom he has called “my brother” and also praised for having “dragon energy.”
“I felt that I knew people who voted for Trump that were celebrities that were scared to say that they liked him. But they told me, and I liked him, and I’m not scared to say what I like,” he said. “Let me come over here and get in this fight with you.”
While West has previously confirmed hedoes not agreewith “everything Trump does” — a sentiment which he shared once again during the interview — he doesn’t think that means he can’t still support the commander-in-chief.
Donald Trump, Kanye West, and Ivanka Trump.Justin McConney
Describing a conversation he had with his father, West said, “I expressed the example that I have a cousin that’s locked up for doing something bad, and I still love him, so I don’t base my love for a person on if they’re doing something good or bad.”
RELATED VIDEO:Kanye WestSteps Out in a ‘Make America Great Again’ Cap Despite Backlash Over Pro-Trump Tweets
While discussing some of the lyrics from his most recent solo album, West confirmed that when he rapped aboutcontemplating suicideon opening track “I Thought About Killing You,” he was being sincere.
“I didn’t do it, but I did think it all the way through,” he added later. “But if I didn’t think it all the way through, then it’s actually maybe more of a chance of it happening.”
“There was a moment where I felt like after TMZ, maybe a week after that, I felt like the energy levels were low,” he said. “I called different family members and was asking, you know, ‘Was Kim thinking about leaving me after TMZ?'”
“That was a real conversation,” he added.
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Despite the difficult times the couple have been through, when they celebrated theirfourth wedding anniversary, West shared a sweet tribute to his wife, writing, “Gratitude and happiness best describe what my wife means to me. I’m deeply grateful and purely happy 😊.”
TheKeeping Up with the Kardashiansstar also shared her admiration for her husband while sharing anever-before-seen photo from their wedding.
“4 years down and forever to go…” she captioned the post. “Thank you babe for giving me our family and caring so much about us. Thank you for inspiring me on a daily, I’m so lucky. I can’t wait for forever… Happy Anniversary.”
source: people.com
