Kanye West criticises Bush during relief concert

Sep 03, 2005 by Ian Evans

During NBC’s A Concert for Hurricane Relief, rapper Kanye West took the chance to criticise President Bush and the delay in responding to the Hurricane Katrina tragedy.

While reading prepared remarks with actor Mike Myers, West veered off to say that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” and added that the U.S. is set up “to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible.”

His remarks went out live on the East Coast but were edited out when the taped version aired on the West Coast.

West began his comments by saying, “I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they’re looting. See a white family, it says they’re looking for food.”

NBC released a statement that said, “Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks. It would be most unfortunate if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person’s opinion.”

Readers looking to contribute to the relief effort online can donate money to the Red Cross via Yahoo.