(CNN) Kanye West once rapped "I miss the old Kanye" to acknowledge a frequent complaint from fans about his behavior.
"I miss the old Kanye, straight from the Go Kanye/ Chop up the soul Kanye, set on his goals Kanye," West raps in the interlude to "I Love Kanye" from his 2016 album "The Life of Pablo." "I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye/ The always rude Kanye, spaz in the news Kanye."
At this point, some folks would be happy with the Kanye from just a few weeks ago.
The rapper has found himself embroiled in controversy these past few days, even more so than usual. And fans, critics and fellow celebrities have reacted quickly and forcefully, often taking him to task for what some say are remarks that fly in the face of historical facts.
Last week, West went on a Twitter tear, tweeting about his admiration of President Donald Trump, calling him "my brother" and saying they both have "dragon energy."
The artist raised a great deal of ire when he tweeted a photo of himself wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat.
He then doubled down on his comments -- and his determination to be a "free thinker" -- by releasing the song "Ye vs. The People" in which he spars with rapper T.I. , who has been a vocal critic of Trump.
But West surpassed even his own ability to stir up the masses when on Tuesday he suggested that the enslavement of African Americans in the US was a "choice."
"When you hear about slavery for 400 years," he said during a TMZ interview that took place at its headquarters. "For 400 years? That sounds like a choice."
His comments immediately evoked a passionate response from TMZ staffer Van Lathan , who was in the newsroom during West's rant, and a Twitter take-down in the form of the hashtag, #IfSlaveryWasAChoice.
Some on Twitter used humor to grapple with West's controversial comments.
"FaceTiming the plantation next door to see 'who all over there,'" one person tweeted.
"Me moving to Massa Johnson's plantation cuz he got a better slave benefits package," another joked.
FaceTiming the plantation next door to see "who all over there" #IfSlaveryWasAChoice pic.twitter.com/1pTfKA1e2K — Jay🍋 (@goldengirljay) May 2, 2018
#IfSlaveryWasAChoice
Me moving to Massa Johnson's plantation cuz he got a better slave benefits package pic.twitter.com/cqDE2OT7Sx — CiCi Adams🌸 (@CiCiAdams_) May 2, 2018
The Roots' Questlove retweeted the TMZ interview and asked "What in the Andy Kaufman is going on here?" Pranks and stunts were major elements of the late entertainer's career.
What in the Andy Kaufman is going on here? https://t.co/uvpJ37opyR — T'Questlove (@questlove) May 1, 2018
But it was far from a laughing matter for many who expressed disappointment in West's remarks.
Black Eyed Peas member Will.I.Am went on "Good Morning Britain" Wednesday and said West's remarks broke his heart.
The musician tweeted about the parallel between slavery and prisons, writing, "its not & never was by choice."
.@kanyewest #slavery vs #prisons
Reality:
its not & never was by choice.
This wickedness was done by force & strategic conditioning.
& education deprivation is at the root.
The fact that the USA builds prisons & not schools, is not our choicehttps://t.co/eCSLcypo5W — will.i.am (@iamwill) May 2, 2018
There were lots on slaves that revolted & they were lynched or shot & raped, physically, psychologically with spiritual warfare that is still present today... to say that was their choice is to blame it all on our ancestors & it Disrespects their suffering... https://t.co/XhLAFV9Kh8 — will.i.am (@iamwill) May 2, 2018
"There were lots on slaves that revolted & they were lynched or shot & raped, physically, psychologically with spiritual warfare that is still present today," Will.I.Am tweeted on Wednesday morning. "To say that was their choice is to blame it all on our ancestors & it Disrespects their suffering..."
Author Roxane Gay did not mince words when she tweeted her reaction to the TMZ interview.
"I don't have the energy for nonsense but Kanye saying slavery was a choice reiterates my previous statements about how dangerous his trite, shallow ramblings are," Gay said. "He is not a free thinker. He is a free moron who doesn't read." Gay's tweet was liked more than 50,000 times.
I don't have the energy for nonsense but Kanye saying slavery was a choice reiterates my previous statements about how dangerous his trite, shallow ramblings are. He is not a free thinker. He is a free moron who doesn't read. Do not @ me. — roxane gay (@rgay) May 1, 2018
Actor and director Wendell Pierce tweeted, "It is clear that @kanyewest is being sensational for the sake of publicity."
"I could care less about that," Pierce wrote. "But for you to use the murder and holocaust of slavery for your own self aggrandizement is at the core of your vile appeasement of white supremacists."
It is clear that @kanyewest is being sensational for the sake of publicity. I could care less about that. But for you to use the murder and holocaust of slavery for your own self aggrandizement is at the core of your vile appeasement of white supremacists. — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) May 2, 2018
You glorify those that murdered our mothers & fathers,raped our women, & swelled our numbers with bastards. You @kanyewest embrace those who inhumanly experimented on our bodies to watch the ravage of death for decades in Tuskegee. — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) May 2, 2018
You lift up those that taught us a religion that they disgraced. And in the name of Jesus bought, sold,tortured and killed in the name of God. Slavery wasn't a choice, it was a crime against humanity without a denouement of Justice. — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) May 2, 2018
West attempted to clarify his comments with a tweet on Tuesday, hours after the TMZ interview went public, saying he brought up the subject of slavery "because we can't be mentally imprisoned for another 400 years" and he complained that he was again "being attacked for presenting new ideas."
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
once again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 1, 2018
He also tweeted, "I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves", a quote often attributed to Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who led others to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
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
Several people pointed out on Twitter that there is actually no proof that Tubman ever said those words.
Image copyright Getty / PA Image caption Will.i.am (left) said the comments seemed out of character for the Kanye he knows
Will.i.am has led the fierce backlash against Kanye West after he claimed the enslavement of African Americans over centuries may have been a "choice".
The singer said it was "one of the most ignorant statements that anybody who came from the hood could ever say about their ancestors".
He also said Kanye's comments "broke my heart" and were "harmful".
Kanye earlier told TMZ: "When you hear about slavery for 400 years... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice."
He added: "You was there for 400 years and it's all of y'all? It's like we're mentally imprisoned."
He later tweeted to clarify that "of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will".
He added: "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."
And then he claimed he was "being attacked for presenting new ideas".
That led to a wave of criticism from fans, fellow artists and others on social media - including the viral hashtag #IfSlaveryWasAChoice.
Asked about the comments on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Will.i.am said: "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."
The musician said it "makes me want to cry that we're even talking about this" when there are problems in the world today that need addressing.
Skip Twitter post by @TMZ Kanye West stirs up the TMZ newsroom over TRUMP, SLAVERY and FREE THOUGHT. There's A LOT more that went down ... and the fireworks are exploding on @TMZLive today. Check your local listings for show times. pic.twitter.com/jwVsJCMPiq — TMZ (@TMZ) May 1, 2018 Report
Will.i.am also said the comments seemed out of character for the Kanye he knows. "That's not Kanye," he said.
"To me, that's a different person that's saying that, and I hope it's not to raise awareness so you could sell a record and some shoes, because that would be the worst thing to do, to stir up this very touchy race situation and you be the benefactor from it.
"So I encourage you, if you really believe this, give your shoes away for free, give your album away for free. And I don't like talking about going against my community, but that is harmful."
He concluded: "I will not throw my ancestors under the bus to profit."
'WAKE UP'
Others criticising Kanye included film director Spike Lee, who accused him on Instagram of making "uneducated comments" and urged him to "WAKE UP".
Lee wrote: "'SLAVERY... A CHOICE'??? My Brother, OUR ancestors did not choose to be stolen from mother Africa. OUR ancestors did not choose to be ripped of our religion, language, culture.
"OUR ancestors did not choose to be murdered, lynched, castrated, raped, burnt at the stake, families sold apart. OUR ancestors built this country (on land stolen from the Native Americans) from the ground up under the institution of SLAVERY."
On Twitter, musician Talib Kweli, wrote: "I will always have love for @kanyewest but bro out here putting targets on our backs. Slavery was not a choice."
An African-American history professor at North Carolina State University said in a Twitter thread that Kanye's remarks were "uninformed" and an "embarrrasment".
Skip Twitter post by @profblmkelley Haven’t watched the whole Kanye event today, working my way up to it. I will say, that a milder version of the “slavery is a choice” argument is made by uninformed people all the time. I’ve had young men in my courses say “they never would have enslaved me.” — Blair LM Kelley (@profblmkelley) May 2, 2018 Report
Referring to the star's 2004 album The College Dropout, comedian Romesh Ranganathan wrote: "Kanye West is an incredible advert for finishing college."
Musician John Legend, who got into an exchange with Kanye over his support for President Trump last week, retweeted a string of people criticising him.
They included civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson, who wrote: "Kanye's rhetoric continues to fuel the racist right-wing folks who believe that black people are responsible for their oppression."
Skip Twitter post by @deray Kanye’s rhetoric continues to fuel the racist right-wing folks who believe that black people are responsible for their oppression. — deray (@deray) May 1, 2018 Report
However, rapper The Game came to his defence, calling Kanye "a genius". He wrote: "People who've never achieved greatness are not allowed to question it."
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Kanye said he was "being attacked for presenting new ideas"
Is this a marketing stunt?
By Mark Savage, BBC music reporter
Is Kanye West stoking controversy simply to sell records? Yes and no.
The star returned to Twitter two weeks ago after almost a year away. That's pretty standard behaviour - lots of artists "go dark" on social media in the run-up to a new record, only to reappear in (what they hope is) a blaze of publicity when the release date draws near.
But West is instinctively a provocateur. He started to go off-message, tweeting about his admiration of Donald Trump and right-wing commentators who "challenge" conventional thought.
His subsequent statements online and on camera, including the extraordinary assertion that slavery might have been a "choice", have only stoked the controversy further.
But if this is all a marketing ploy, as Forbes suggests, it's backfiring spectacularly. Because unless I'm mistaken, alienating your fanbase isn't a commonly accepted principle of advertising.
All the same, West will use the controversy to fuel his music. After all, the song he released on Saturday, Ye Vs The People, which sees fellow rap star TI challenging his views, was apparently recorded just 48 hours earlier.
So he's reacting and creating in addition to provoking and promoting, which makes this a curiously compelling moment in music.
"I think he's trying to take people on a journey," said US radio host Ebro Darden, after speaking to West last week. "What I've expressed to him is that he better hurry up and get to his destination."
#IfSlaveryWasAChoice
Since Kanye made the comments suggesting slavery was a "choice", a meme has developed on social media mocking the rapper's remarks.
The hashtag #IfSlaveryWasAChoice became the top trending topic in the US just hours after the TMZ broadcast.
Many have used the hashtag to create fictitious scenarios, where enslaved African Americans were working on plantations out of their own free will.
US entrepreneur Luke Lawal imagined a scenario where the cotton pickers have their Mac computer out in the field and are selecting their playlist for the day.
Others imagined a world where they worked hard to get to their dream slave position.
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Black cultural figures from Ava DuVernay to Will.i.am and Spike Lee have condemned Kanye West for saying ‘slavery for 400 years ... that sounds like a choice’
Kanye West has caused outrage among civil rights activists and fellow musicians, thanks to comments in which he implied black people were to blame for their enslavement.
Kanye West on slavery: 'For 400 years? That sounds like a choice' Read more
In an interview with TMZ, West said: “When you hear about slavery for 400 years … for 400 years? That sounds like a choice … It’s like we’re mentally in prison.” He later clarified his comments on Twitter, saying: “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.”
His comments nevertheless prompted an instant and vociferous backlash, first of all in the TMZ newsroom, where host Van Lathan told West: “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.”
Other rappers castigated West, including Talib Kweli, who said: “I will always have love for Kanye West but bro out here putting targets on our backs. Slavery was not a choice.”
Good Morning Britain (@GMB) Musician https://t.co/LVkFhdVrGP says Kanye West's comment on slavery 'broke his heart'.#IfSlaveryWasAChoice
Read more on @iamwill's interview: https://t.co/kIy8AD60bJ pic.twitter.com/KeR7m5W7BE
Will.i.am told Good Morning Britain that West’s words “broke my heart … 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.”
The show’s host Piers Morgan later wrote in the Daily Mail, regarding West’s comments: “Of all the offensive things any public figure could say, this strikes me as right up with denial of the Holocaust.”
Film director Spike Lee wrote: “SLAVERY... A CHOICE’??? My Brother, OUR ancestors did not choose to be stolen from mother Africa. OUR ancestors did not choose to be ripped of our religion, language, culture. OUR ancestors did not choose to be murdered, lynched, castrated, raped, burnt at the stake, families sold apart. OUR ancestors built this country (on land stolen from the Native Americans) from the ground up under the institution of SLAVERY.”
Ava DuVernay, the director of Martin Luther King biopic Selma, wrote: “Evoking racial terrorism and murder for personal gain/blame is stratospheric in is audacity and ignorance.”
African-American novelist and essayist Roxane Gay said: “I don’t have the energy for nonsense but Kanye saying slavery was a choice reiterates my previous statements about how dangerous his trite, shallow ramblings are. He is not a free thinker. He is a free moron who doesn’t read.”
Actor Wendell Pierce, best known for his role as Bunk in The Wire, said: “To use the murder and holocaust of slavery for your own self aggrandisement is at the core of your vile appeasement of white supremacists.”
West has previously made comments about slavery in his music, including New Slaves, where he suggested a modern kind of mental enslavement by consumer culture. He did receive support from rapper the Game, who tweeted: “Kanye is a genius. People who’ve never achieved greatness are not allowed to question it.”
