Kanye West sparked outrage after he suggested George Floyd’s death was drugs related (Picture: Revolt)
Kanye West has backtracked on his comments about the death of George Floyd and ‘understands’ why it caused upset to the Black community.
The All Of The Lights rapper sparked outrage when he recently suggested Floyd’s death was related to drugs rather than police brutality.
Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder after kneeling on Floyd’s neck during an arrest in May 2020.
The family of Floyd, a Black man, said they were considering taking legal action against West, 45, after his false statements.
In his original comments, West said in his Drink Champs interview earlier this month: ‘They hit [Floyd] with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that.
‘They said he screamed for his mama; mama was his girlfriend. It’s in the documentary.’
West has said he now understands the ‘hurt’ he caused to the Black community (Picture: GC Images)
Floyd died after a police officer pressed his knee into his neck during an arrest in Minnesota in 2020
West – who recently wore a White Lives Matter shirt and said Black Lives Matter was a ‘scam’ – has now issued an apology, telling paparazzi on Friday according to Consequence of Sound: ‘When I see that video as a Black person, it hurts my feelings. And I know that police do attack and America is generally racist.
‘And I understand that when we got to say Black Lives Matter, that the idea of it made us feel good together as a people, right?’
He added: ‘So when I questioned the death of George Floyd, it hurt my people. I want to apologise. Because God has showed me by what Adidas is doing, by what the media is doing, I know how it feels to have a knee on my neck now.
West is reportedly no longer a billionaire after the end of his lucrative deal with Adidas (Picture: AP)
‘So thank you God for humbling me and letting me know how it really felt. Because how could the richest Black men ever be humbled other than to be made to not be a billionaire in front of everyone off of one comment.’
West was referring to Adidas cutting ties with the rapper and ending their nine-year partnership with his Yeezy clothing line after he made allegedly anti-semitic comments.
Forbes reported that the musician’s net worth has drastically dropped as a result meaning he is no longer a billionaire.
The sportswear brand are just one of a long list of companies who have distanced themselves from the rapper, including Gap, Balenciaga and TJ Maxx, while Skechers claimed West was removed from their headquarters after turning up announced to see if the footwear brand would be open to working with him.
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The rapper falsely claimed Floyd’s death was drugs related.