“I want to apologize because God showed me what Adidas is doing, what the media is doing, I know how it feels to have a knee on the neck right now,” the rapper told paparazzi
Kanye West spoke to paparazzi on Friday night, where he said he didn’t know he was anti-Semitic and apologized for falsely claiming George Floyd died from fentanyl, rather than Floyd choking from a police officer choking him a knee pressed on his neck, causing his death.
When the paparazzi confronted West about his anti-Semitic remarks, he said he was unaware that what he said would be considered anti-Semitic and that after a mediation with Adidas, which officially severed ties with the rapper, he admitted had come to some conclusions and was “humiliated.” In his confused conversation, in which he appeared to be both making statements and dismissing them at the same time, he added: “When I see this video as a Black person, it hurts my feelings. And I know the police are attacking and America in general is racist,” he told paparazzi about HipHopDX. “And I understand that when we had to say Black Lives Matter, the idea made us feel good as a people, right?”
He added, “So when I questioned the death of George Floyd, it hurt my people,” he continued. “I want to apologize. Because God showed me what Adidas is doing, what the media is doing, I know how it feels to have a knee on the neck now.
“So thank God for humbling me and letting me know how it really feels. Because how could the richest black men ever be humiliated but to be made billionaires in front of everyone with one comment.”
Last week, West did not apologize for his anti-Semitic remarks during an interview with Piers Morgan.
Meanwhile, George Floyd’s family is preparing a $250 million lawsuit against West over his baseless claims.
West’s controversial comments have prompted a mass exodus of brands and companies that have parted ways with the rapper. Talent agency giant CAA dumped him this week, and he’s been let down by the likes of Balenciaga and banking giant JP Morgan Chase. His total wealth plummeted from a reported $2 billion to around $500 million after Adidas severed ties with him.