Kanye West: 'Glastonbury petition was not about race'
Rapper Kanye West has dismissed suggestions a petition calling for him to be axed from the line-up of Britain's Glastonbury Festival was driven by racism.
The Gold Digger hitmaker headlined at the traditionally rock-orientated event over the weekend (27-28Jun15) but his inclusion on the bill met with controversy in the run-up to the festival.
A petition calling for him to be removed from the bill attracted
more than 130,000 signatures, but West ignored the comments and put
on a typically confident show which divided critics.
Now he has spoken out to dismiss suggestions the petition was
motivated by racism but admits he fears many of his enemies dislike
him because he is a black man who is not afraid to speak his
mind.
He tells Q magazine, "I'm not concerned about race. I don't think
it has to do with race at all. There's something abnormal about
anyone speaking their mind in today's society. It's even more
shocking or radical for someone to see a darker skin be so
confident. Because we've been advertised against it. So it's
surprising when someone darker really believes in themselves and
speaks up about it."