
Kanye West Suggests Slavery Was 'A Choice' Made By Black People
By Mustafa GatollariOct. 30 2018, Updated 1:58 p.m. ET
Random question, if given the option to be treated like dirt, forced to do manual labor, have your identity stripped away, your children ripped away from you and sold on a market, live in shackles and chains, be bred like livestock, and the only form of compensation you'll ever receive is maybe a shanty quarters to live in and some food that's only a little better than what's served to pigs, would you pick that option?
Because Kanye West, a man known for saying/doing outlandish and ridiculous things says he believes Africans chose to stay slaves after being chained and shipped from their native homeland and brought to America. And he did it right on TMZ in a live interview (starts at 1:14 mark, which I've got placed right for you below).
West was shut down after making the incendiary claim by TMZ's Van Lathan who provided this succinct and eloquent response to the artist.
Kanye West getting checked on TMZ by @VanLathan pic.twitter.com/Q13yQWuZJl
— Only Hip Hop Facts (@OnlyHipHopFacts) May 1, 2018
West's comments came after he tweeted support for Donald Trump, saying him and the President both share the same "dragon energy."
You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018
Then there was Kanye wearing this MAGA hat.
we got love pic.twitter.com/Edk0WGscp6
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018
And Trump and his constituents, who are very quick to dismiss any entertainer who criticizes what he does and says as being "out of touch" or that they should just stick to being an entertainer, are very, very happy with the fact that Kanye West is saying positive things about the Donald.
TRUMP: Are there any Hispanics in the room?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2018
[crowd boos]
TRUMP: Not so many? That's okay... and in fairness, Kanye West gets it! pic.twitter.com/CegLcNzDXy
And while many were just chalking up Kanye's comments as an attempt to get his name in the news to promote his upcoming two albums, his "slavery was a choice" comments had a lot of people on Twitter very frustrated, angry, and shocked.
Many are tweeting the #ifslaverywereachoice hashtag to give their thoughts on West's comments.
Future convo
— Craig Rozniecki (@CraigRozniecki) May 2, 2018
Kanye West: "Slavery was a choice."
Donald Trump: "There were bad slaves on both sides, both sides."#IfSlaveryWereAChoice
Can’t believe this crap is trending. None of you losers weren’t there, you’re not slaves, just self-made victims, exploiting past of our ancestors. #IfSlaveryWereAChoice
— Mike Ryals (@MichaelRyals) May 2, 2018
Some think that the comment shouldn't even be acknowledged.
Some of you are taking it like the #IfSlaveryWereAChoice hashtag is people laughing and mocking slavery. They are laughing and mocking an ignorant man who made an ignorant comment. Better to just laugh at his ignorance than hold anger towards it.
— Soph (@SophyyPaige) May 2, 2018
While others are fearing for the future of Kim and Kanye's relationship.
My prediction is KimK will divorce Kanye West soon, citing loss of brand. #IfSlaveryWereAChoice
— Steve Redmond (@sjredmond) May 2, 2018
Dear Kanye:
— Craig Rozniecki (@CraigRozniecki) May 2, 2018
Whether an idea is old or new, stupid is still stupid.#IfSlaveryWereAChoice
Others think that people of color are basically doing it to themselves.

And there were some people who asked the question that was on everyone's minds after West said what he said.
Someone needs to send Kanye back 400 years ago to see what choices he would have had. I suppose he would have chosen death because that was the only other choice for slavery. Idiot. Just like his President. #IfSlaveryWereAChoice
— Marie (@imaGRITS) May 2, 2018
Some just couldn't stop parodying what the artist said.
In the future
— Craig Rozniecki (@CraigRozniecki) May 2, 2018
Kanye West: "If a guy holds a toilet paper roll to his belly for like 9 minutes, he'll basically know what pregnancy's like."
The Twittersphere lets him have it.
West: "I'm getting attacked for presenting new ideas."#IfSlaveryWereAChoice
Massa: go pick that cotton!
— Rico Negasi 🤴🏽🦁 #May9th♉️♉️♉️♉️ (@YUNGDRIZZEY) May 2, 2018
Slave: how bout you get off yo ass and do it🔥🔥
the whole field: OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!! #IfSlaveryWereAChoice pic.twitter.com/ZTBJPDwLzC
Others pointed out what the other option was for those who decided to "opt out of slavery" back then.
The people who say that Kayne was right act as if DEATH wasn’t the other option. They act like our people didn’t rebel. They did. They were met with guns and whips. They were mutilated, raped, and murdered. Shut up. #IfSlaveryWereAChoice
— Anthony Newton (@AnthonyLeShawn) May 2, 2018
And others just couldn't help being realer than real.
#IfSlaveryWereAChoice it LITERALLY would not be called slavery.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) May 2, 2018
It would be called something like "low wage employment with no cost-of-living wage increases while the rich get MASSIVE tax cuts and bigger profits."
But I guess slavery has fewer characters, so...😐
The backlash to Kanye's statement had the artist take to Twitter to explain what he meant by saying the the 400 years were a "choice."
we are programmed to always talk and fight race issues. We need to update our conversation.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
the reason why I brought up the 400 years point is because we can't be mentally imprisoned for another 400 years. We need free thought now. Even the statement was an example of free thought It was just an idea
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
And that he was being "attacked" for presenting new ideas.
once again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
But in all fairness, I mean, you have the right to say whatever you want and people have the right to point out just how dumb the things you're saying truly are, with evidence, of course.
Kanye West: "I'm being attacked for presenting new ideas."
— Craig Rozniecki (@CraigRozniecki) May 2, 2018
No, you're being attacked for presenting stupid ideas...#IfSlaveryWereAChoice
Many Twitter users just couldn't understand how Kanye's claim was in any way constructive.
How exactly did you “update the conversation”?
— Kelechi Okafor (@kelechnekoff) May 1, 2018
if this was 148 years ago I would have been more like Harriet or Nat
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves. - Harriet Tubman
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 2, 2018
Others pointed out that West was misquoting influential African American figures.
https://t.co/3OoG1Lvvye
— Jared Muskovitz (@muskovitz) May 2, 2018
Nope, try again
And the problems behind tweeting out fake quotes.
Someone really needs to stop Kanye from tweeting these fake quotes that never existed. Very Trumpish and it is dangerous because dumb people believe and racist people don't care if it is true or false. Quote has been used by racist people for decades it is entirely made up. https://t.co/0gMEi7YXC0
— Robert Littal (@BSO) May 2, 2018
Others noticed a recurring trend with notable African Americans who have publicly endorsed Trump.
Trump's Blacks Don't Know Much About Slavery:
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 2, 2018
Kanye West: Slavery was "a choice"
Ben Carson: Obamacare is the "worst thing...since slavery."
Sheriff David Clarke: Obama "rubbed the stain of slavery" for 8 years.
Diamond & Silk: "It was the Democrats that started slavery."
Many think that Kanye should read up a bit more on the history of slavery.
Dear @kanyewest, from @HISTORY: "Laws dictating when, where and how slaves could congregate were enacted to prevent insurrection and quell white paranoia. It’s estimated there were at least 250 slave rebellions in America before slavery was abolished." #Haiti #Maroons. #READ!
— Karen Hunter (@karenhunter) May 1, 2018
Trust your intentions. Appreciate your transparency, and commitment to authenticity. But it’s getting dark when you’re implying that what held back enslaved people was a mentality—it was a fixed and reinforced power structure, and when you wear that red hat you reinforce the same
— Brendan McGuirk (@BrendanMcGuirk) May 1, 2018
For the most part though, everyone is just shocked West would ever say what he just said.
Don’t usually get caught up in commenting about stuff like this but I saw what Kanye West said and I was ASHAMED. 400 Years of slavery a CHOICE???? Really! All I’ll say is this: I’m incredibly proud of that staffer from TMZ. Brilliant, Eloquent & totally appropriate response.#WTH
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 2, 2018
There's been a slew of celeb responses to Kanye West's suggestion that slavery was a choice, but this Will.I.Am one pretty much hits the nail on the head.
Musician https://t.co/LVkFhdVrGP says Kanye West's comment on slavery 'broke his heart'.#IfSlaveryWasAChoice
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) May 2, 2018
Read more on @iamwill's interview: https://t.co/kIy8AD60bJ pic.twitter.com/KeR7m5W7BE
"That broke my heart, because I thought about my grandma, who was born in 1920, and her connection with her mom who raised her, who was born in the late 1800s.
And my grandmother's grandma, who was a slave. And when you're a slave, you're owned. You don't choose if you're owned. When you're a slave you're deprived of education. That's not choice, that's by force.
So I understand the need to have free thought, but if your thoughts aren't researched, that is just going to hurt those that are still in conditions where it's not choice."
I'm still hoping this is just a marketing tactic and Kanye went too far, because I can't even possibly fathom how people whose family members were affected by slavery feel about what he said.