Kanye West has apologised after he came under fire for “questioning” George Floyd’s death.
The rapper, 45 – who legally changed his name to Ye – also compared himself to George and said that he now knows “how it feels to have a knee on [his] neck”.
He recently told paparazzi: “When I see that video as a Black person, it hurts my feelings. And I know that police do attack and that America is generally racist”.
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The father of four added by saying that he “understands” that the “idea” of Black Lives Matter made people “feel good together” as a community.
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.”
George died at the age of 46 after being arrested by police officers, including Derek Chauvin, 46, in Minneapolis. His death sparked protests around the world.
During Chauvin’s trial in June last year, the court was told that Floyd died because Derek had pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for nine-and-a-half minutes.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Kanye came under fire after he suggested on the Drink Champs podcast that Floyd’s death was related to fentanyl rather than from having had Derek’s knee on his neck.
George’s family are said to be considering taking legal action against Kanye over his comments.
The lawsuit filed by Roxie Washington, the mother of George’s daughter, Gianna Floyd, said that Kanye made “false statements about George Floyd’s death to promote his brands and increase marketing value and revenue for himself, his business partners, and associates.”
(Image: Getty Images North America)
The lawyers also stated, “George Floyd’s daughter is being traumatised by Kanye West’s comments, and he’s creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for her.”
It comes a week after Adidas joins Gap Inc. and Kering SA’s Balenciaga fashion label in cutting ties with Kanye following his repeated anti-Semitic statements.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
