Kanye West has shared his stance on abortion.
The 45-year-old rapper announced that he is "pro-life" during an interview with Fox News Host Tucker Carlson last night (October 6).
During their conversation, Carlson commented on West's lanyard, which bore an image of a baby's ultrasound. West explained that he had designed the lanyard and that it is indicative of his own personal beliefs.
"It just represents life. I'm pro-life," the rapper said.
When Carlson asked him what sort of response the lanyard provoked, West continued: "I don't care about people's responses."
"I care about the fact that there are more Black babies being aborted than born in New York City at this point. That 50 percent of Black death in America is abortion," he continued.
"I really don't care about people's response to that. I perform for an audience of one and that is God," the Yeezy founder added.
Elsewhere in the interview, West spoke about his recent show at Paris Fashion Week. During the event, he was snapped wearing a controversial 'White Lives Matter' t-shirt that sparked widespread backlash and prompted sportswear giant Adidas to put their relationship with him "under review".
Speaking to Carlson, West explained that his decision to wear the t-shirt was based on "gut instinct".
"I do certain things from a feeling, I just channel the energy it feels right. Hits using a gut instinct, connection with god, and just brilliance," he said.
The 'Stronger' rapper went on to compare his outfit to figure skater Tonya Harding landing a triple axle for the first time.
"They asked Tonya Harding how she did the triple flip and she was in so much practice that when it was time for her to skate in a competitive format it just happened. It happened outside of practice that happened in the real format," he said, adding: "That's what's happening. God is preparing us for the real battles. We are in a battle with the media."
'White Lives Matter' is widely considered to be an appropriation of the 'Black Lives Matter' slogan used to protest racial injustice, discrimination, and police brutality. Often used by white supremacists and far-right organizations, the phrase is categorized by the Anti-Defamation League as a hate slogan.
Many Black artists were among those quick to condemn the 'Stronger' hitmaker for endorsing 'White Lives Matter'. Jaden Smith shared a string of tweets explaining that he "had to" leave the Yeezy show, adding: "I Don’t Care Who’s It Is If I Don’t Feel The Message I’m Out."