Kanye West Argues Against The Need For Black History Month

The hot takes from Kanye West's appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience have caused a stir, but that was expected from the presidential candidate. West has said quite a few controversial statements throughout his career, but his remarks about Black people have often caused division in the Black community. During his recent conversation with Rogan, Kanye gave his take on Black History Month and it rubbed a few folks the wrong way.

“Most Black people, we don’t know [where we come from]. We think we came from slaves," said West. "We don’t know our bloodline and we’re given Black History Month, and we take that like it’s some gift to us. No, it’s a programming to us. Racism doesn’t end until we get to a point where we stop having to put the word ‘Black’ in front of it because it’s like we’re putting the rim a little bit lower for ourselves."

"We shouldn’t have to have a special box, a special month. What they show on Black History Month is us getting hosed down, reminding us that we were slaves. What if we had, Remember When I Cheated on You Month? Remember When You First Found the Text Messages? How does that make you feel? It makes you feel depleted and defeated."

Like the dozens of other topics Kanye West covered during his interview, his take on Black History Month prompted a polarizing social media conversation. One side of the line agreed with the rap mogul and thanked him for being "forward-thinking," while others criticized West for "missing the point" of Black History Month altogether. Check out Kanye's remarks a little before the 44-minute mark and read through a few reactions below.