Kanye West accused Democrats of taking advantage of black people, pointing to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s dismissive comments about African Americans who support President Trump.
“A lot of times just like political parties they feel all blacks have to be Democrat. This man, Joe Biden, said if you don’t vote for me, then you are not black. Well, act like we didn’t hear that? We act like we didn’t hear that man say that?” the rapper told Forbes.
“That is a form of racism and white supremacy and white control to say that all black people need to be Democrat and to assume that me running is me splitting the vote. All of that information is being charged up on social media platforms by Democrats. And Democrats used to tell me, the same Democrats have threatened me,” he said. “The reason why this is the first day I registered to vote is because I was scared. I was told that if I voted on Trump my music career would be over. I was threatened into being in one party. I was threatened as a celebrity into being in one party. I was threatened as a black man into the Democratic Party. And that’s what the Democrats are doing, emotionally, to my people. Threatening them to the point where this white man can tell a black man if you don’t vote for me, you’re not black.”
[Related: Trump loses Kanye West support: ‘I am taking the red hat off’]
West was referring to an interview Biden did with radio show host Charlamagne tha God in May. The former vice president questioned how black people could support Trump.
“Well, I’ll tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” he said. Biden later apologized for the controversial remark, saying, “I should not have been so cavalier.”
But West argued there’s a trend of Democrats making empty promises to black voters.
“Someone can say, ‘Hey, I got a brand new car for you, it’s across the street,’ and you get so excited you run across the street and get hit by a car trying to run to your new car. That’s how they control the black community, through emotions, they get us excited, we’re so excited, but then for 400 years the change doesn’t truly happen,” he said.
