The American rapper, 40, made the confession during a series of rambling interviews where he opened up about his views on race and how other rappers perceive him
KANYE West has sensationally claimed that slavery was a "choice" for African Americans - and defended his decision to support Donald Trump.
The American rapper, 40, made the confession during a series of rambling interviews where he opened up about his views on race and how other rappers perceive him.
West, 40, was taking part in a TMZ Live interview when he said: "When you hear about slavery for 400 years, for 400 years, that sounds like choice.
"Like, you was there for 400 years and it's all of y'all?"
He continued: "It is like we are mentally imprisoned. I like the word prison because slavery goes too direct to the idea of blacks.
"It is like slavery, holocaust. Holocaust, is Jews, and slavery is blacks.
"So prison is something that unites us as one race. Black and whites, one race. It is like we are one with the human race, we are human beings and stuff."
TMZ reporter Van Lathan hit back at Kanye, saying: "I think what you're doing right now is actually the absence of thought."
He added: "Kanye, you're entitled to your opinion ... You're entitled to believe whatever you want, but there is fact and real world, real life consequence behind everything you just said.
"And while you are making music and being an artist and living the life that you've earned by being a genius, the rest of us in society have to deal with these threats to our lives."
Political commentator Symone Sanders tweeted she was "disgusted" with the remarks and called West "a dangerous caricature."
The interview came after the outspoken star defended his support for Trump, calling the President "my boy" and "my brother".
In a separate video released yesterday, the superstar was asked by rapper T.I. what he admired about Trump, and responded: "The ability to do what no one said you can do, to do the impossible."
He added: "I have never been into politics. I just love Trump. That is my boy.
"It is like the media and the liberals and the echo chamber and all that is having the most sore loss of all time."
In a string of earlier tweets, Kanye had claimed that he and Trump both have "dragon energy", before the President replied saying the rapper was "very cool".
Earlier the rapper shared a video interview, recorded on March 18, with US radio DJ Charlamagne, in which he was asked about having a "mental breakdown" in 2016.
He also spoke about the robbery of his wife Kim Kardashian West in Paris in 2016, during which she was held at gunpoint at a private residence.
When asked where he is mentally now, Kanye told Charlamagne: "I think I'm in a stronger place than I ever was. After the breakdown, or I like to say, the breakthrough."
On what he thinks caused it, Kanye said: "Fear, stress, control, being controlled, manipulation, like being a pawn in a chess piece of life, stressing things that create, like, validation, that I didn't need to worry about as much."
Kanye also told TMZ that he became addicted to opioids after he had liposuction surgery in 2016.
He was hospitalised for a week and had to cut short his "Pablo" tour.
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