Kanye West Addresses Anti-Semitic Claims, Says His "Jews Having Money" Comment Was an "Ignorant Compliment"

Rapper takes back his offensive comparison

Kanye West is addressing anti-Semitic accusations following controversial comments he made in a recent radio interview.

Last month, Kim Kardashian's other half said during an interview with Power 105 while talking about President Barack Obama, "Black people don't have the same level of connections as Jewish people. Black people don't have the same connection as oil people."

After the interview, Anti-Defamation League Director Abraham H. Foxman called out West, saying, "This is classic anti-Semitism. There it goes again, the age-old canard that Jews are all-powerful and control the levers of power in government. As a celebrity with a wide following, Kanye West should know better."

Now, the 36-year-old rapper is finally addressing the controversy.

"I really don't like that people, in all the interviews I've been doing lately or recently, there's so much motivation, inspiration and insight, and what they'll do is they'll just take this one sound bite that sounds the most awkward in a way," West told Chicago's B96 this week.

"Also, I think there was another statement," West said, referencing the anti-Semitic comments, adding, "I thought that I was giving a compliment, but if anything, it came off more ignorant. When I said this comment about Jews having money and blacks not having money, I think that it was kind of like an ignorant compliment. I think it was an ignorant compliment."

"I don't know how being told you have money is like an insult," West continued with a laugh. "That would be like if [somebody] complimented black guys and said, 'All black guys got big penises.' You don't want to be the black guy that raises your hand, like, 'No! That's not true. I got proof.' I thought by saying everybody had money that would be a compliment. It was an ignorant compliment. Maybe I would like take that statement away."