(JTA) — Rapper Kanye West, saying “Black people don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people,” defended President Obama’s difficulty in passing his policies.
West made the comments last week in an interview on the New York City radio station WWPR-105.1 FM. The Israeli daily Haaretz with its report on Friday apparently was the first to note the interview on the hip hop and R&B station.
“Man, let me tell you something about George Bush and oil money and Obama and no money,” West said. “People want to say Obama can’t make these moves or he’s not executing. That’s because he ain’t got those connections. Black people don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people. Black people don’t have the same connection as oil people.
West went on to say, “Can you guarantee that your daughter can get a job at this radio station? But if you own this radio station, you could guarantee that. That’s what I’m talking about.”
The rapper has made comparisons in the past that have raised the hackles of the Jewish community. In August 2011, he was booed at a concert in England after comparing himself to Hitler.
“I walk through the hotel and I walk down the street, and people look at me like I’m (expletive) insane, like I’m Hitler,” West told an audience of 40,000 at the Big Chill Festival. As the audience booed, he said, “One day the light will shine through, and one day people will understand everything I ever did.”
