(Photo Credit: Prince Williams/Getty Images)
Kanye West just came out of a five week period in which he released albums from Pusha T, himself, himself and Kid Cudi, Nas, and Teyana Taylor.
Now that the artist and super producer got some time to get the art out into the world, he had time to sit down for an interview with the New York Times.
Inside of the interview he discussed his struggles with mental illness and gives us a look inside what the last year-and-a-half has been for him.
He addressed his comments about Donald Trump as well as the infamous TMZ Live appearance in which he seemed to infer 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 said. “That’s why I went from slave to 400 years to mental prison to this and that. If you look at the clip you see the way my mind works.”
After comparing himself to Nat Turner, he then continued.
“What I would say is actually it’s literally like I feel like I’m in court having to justify a robbery that I didn’t actually commit, where I’m having to somehow reframe something that I never said,” he said. “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. What I will do is I’ll take responsibility for the fact that I allowed my voice to be used back to back in ways that were not protective of it when my voice means too much.”
As if he believes that his audience will alienate him at some point.
Back to back?
Wearing the [Trump] hat, because my voice is unprotected, and I believe that the black community wants to protect my voice. By me saying slave in any way at TMZ left my voice unprotected. So it’s not a matter of the facts of if I said that exact line or not, it’s the fact that I put myself in a position to be unprotected by my tribe.
Do you feel that if black fans abandon you, that’s something that you could come back from? Do you think that is a death blow?
It’s not going to happen.
It’s just not going to happen?
Like I said, wouldn’t leave. Like yes, got a bunch of different opinions. You’re not always going to agree, but they’re not going to leave.
There is much more in this profile which should be given a chance. Read it here.