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Van Jones ‘Offended’ By Kanye’s Slavery Remarks, ‘Buying Your Records Is a Choice, Maybe We Should Make a Different Choice!’

Van Jones is weighing in on Kanye West and according to him, some of the rapper’s closest pals are worried about him.

West went viral last week for proclaiming on “TMZ Live,” “You hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sound like a choice. Like, you was there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all? It’s like we’re mentally in prison.”

“I was really offended by what he said.” Jones said on “The Wendy Williams Show” Thursday, May 4. “He said slavery was a choice that Black people made. Well, you know what? Buying your records is a choice that Black people made. Maybe we should make a different choice because that’s not appropriate. That’s not appropriate.”

Jones added that there are several topics people shouldn’t discuss out of ignorance, including the Holocaust and Native American genocide. He also reflected on the turn that has apparently taken place with West, who was once considered “substantive,” saying he is “on a pogo stick talking stupid,” while wife Kim Kardashian is helping to get pardons for non-violent drug offenders.

“I’ve talked to some of his close friends and they’re concerned,” Jones admits. “They’re concerned. He had one interview where he was doing very well — I didn’t like the points he was raising but he was at least raising substantive points and trying to point out [that] a lot of African-Americans are a little bit more conservative, why should we only vote for Democrats? That’s a decent conversation.

“But in the next interview [with TMZ], he’s just talking crazy,” the CNN host continues. “And [his friends] say that maybe he’s gone into a manic phase and they’re worried. So as mad as we are for Kanye, we should be praying for Kanye West. We should be praying for him to come back to his good mind.”

Meanwhile, viewers also gave their two cents on West’s mental state.

“I don’t think Kanye is crazy. He just doesn’t know how to organize his thoughts,” one person said. “He doesn’t live in a normal society so he no longer knows how to speak to the people. But Kanye [has] always been like this. He’s not crazy just thinking his thoughts out loud also you might not like what he says but those are his thoughts.”

“Van you’re adorable, Kanye needs help. I haven’t given up on Kanye,” one person said.
“And I hope you reach out to him.”

“Kanye has said that he’s been missing some of his medications,” another commented.

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