Kanye West doubles down on controversial 2018 ‘slavery was a choice’ statement; internet in a frenzy

In 2018, Kanye West made a controversial statement that earned him immense backlash. Referring to the African-American experience of slavery that began in the early 17th century, West, during a conversation said, “slavery was a choice”. In the infamous 2018 TMZ interview, he stated, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years... For 400 years? That sounds like a choice. You were there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all. It’s like we’re mentally imprisoned.”

To clarify his comments, he took to X (formerly Twitter), explaining, “to make myself clear. Of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will. My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved.”

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He later defended his stance, saying, “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. Once again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas.”

West later apologised for his comments during a talk with Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI radio. "I don't know if I properly apologized for how that slave comment made people feel, so I want to take this moment right now to say that I'm sorry for hurting... And I'm sorry for people who felt let down by that moment, and also I appreciate you guys giving me the opportunity to talk to you about the way I was thinking and what I was going through and what led me to that," the 47-year-old said.

Now, nearly seven years after the statement and subsequent apology, the Heartless rapper reiterated his belief and revived the disputable “slavery was a choice” statement. On X, the West stated, “What y’all gonna do? Cancel my sneaker deal? Cancel my record deal? Freeze my accounts? F**k y’all n****s! Slavery is a choice. I’m speaking my mind now. I ain’t editing s**t again ever!”

Re-sparking an internet debate, one user hit back, saying, “Ye, freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences. But if slavery's a choice, then maybe so is canceling deals [sic],” while another wrote, “i miss the old kanye. i hate the new kanye, the bad mood kanye, the always rude kanye [sic],” referencing his spoken word track I Love Kanye from his 2016 The Life of Pablo album.

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West has frequently been at the centre of social controversies, most recently for dressing his wife, Bianca Censori, in a transparent NSFW dress, revealing her nude body during the Grammys red carpet on Sunday, February 2. On Thursday, the father-of-four, who previously claimed he was bipolar, revealed he was misdiagnosed and has autism. He also pleaded with U.S. President Donald Trump to free Sean “Diddy” Combs from jail. Combs, who was convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering, was arrested in September 2024 and is currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.