“When you hear about slavery for 400 years—for 400 years?!” he said. “That sounds like a choice. Like, you was there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all? It’s like we’re mentally in prison.”

West also explained his thought process behind wearing his signed “Make America Great Again” hat so publicly. Last week, West posted photos of himself wearing the hat, and was photographed outside in Los Angeles while wearing it.

“It was really just my subconscious. It was a feeling I had, you know. Like, people—we’re taught how to think. We’re taught how to feel. We don’t know how to think for ourselves. We don’t know how to feel for ourselves. People say “feel free,” but they don’t really want us to feel free. I felt a freedom.”

He then turned to the hip-hop community’s opinions of Trump, saying that he was “one of rap’s favorite people” before he became president.

“I just love Trump. That’s my boy. You know, so many rappers—you look at a video of Snoop Dogg lovin’ Trump, but then he get in the office and now they don’t love him. Trump is one of rap’s favorite people.”

Not everyone in the TMZ newsroom was thrilled with West’s appearance. TMZ reporter Van Lathan shot back at West, expressing his disappointment in his recent comments, sparking a debate with him across the office.

“I actually don’t think you’re thinking anything,” Lathan interjected. “I think what you’re doing right now is actually the absence of thought. And the reason why I feel like that is because, 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 that 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. We have to deal with the marginalization that has come from the 400 years of slavery that you said, for our people, was a choice. Frankly, I’m disappointed, I’m appalled and, brother, I am unbelievably hurt by the fact that you have morphed into something, to me, that’s not real.”

West then walked over to Lathan’s desk, saying, “I’m sorry I hurt you,” while Lathan reiterated, “Bro, you’ve got to be responsible. Your voice is too big.”

VIA: