John Salley: Here's What I "Think" Kanye Meant by "Slavery is a Choice" (Part 8) 

I thought someone would finally explain what Kayne meant by slavery is a choice but I guess not. Kanye was attempting to explain a philosophical concept called, THE MASTER SLAVE DIALECTIC. In short, slavery is a choice; you either CHOOSE to fight against your oppressor for your freedom and risk death or you CHOOSE to submit to his will and accept your oppression. Ultimately, you submit or die fighting for your freedom. Either way these are choices however, most black people will not accept the fact that death as a CHOICE in this dialectic.

"I know that we the new slaves, I see the Blood on the Leaves" - Kanye West

Kanye's comment echoed my own thought. And I heard it again in the Black Pantry movie. For anybody confused...the choice was simple...fight and die or live as slave and die a slave. So in the beautiful words of Killmonger..."Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships...for they knew it was better to die than to live in bondage"

Vlad is wrong about racism internationally. It exists, it’s just gone about differently abroad especially when you consider nations where blacks are a majority (i.e. Namibia) vs. minorities. Racism is global.

“I’ve been to Senegal!”...Dj Vlad just couldn’t resist.

We are being tricked here in America. Everyone needs to travel outside of the country

Its always fascinating to hear Salley's POV on various things. I could listen to him daily. He still should be on tv sports broadcasting somewhere..

“They didn’t know they were slaves.” Mann that comment still sits with me. How crazy is that...

Great interviews!!!

This man vlad said that Europe has an absence of racism 😂😂😂

Choice doesn't mean saying maybe I don't work today... Choosing slavery is saying I'd rather Die rather than Be in Bondage. Rebellion had a consequence. You chose to be obedient or be rebellious. The Movie of Nat Turner shows that it was a choice. Take the mind of the man you won't have to worry about how physically strong he is.

Thanks for the perspective John that was very interesting

Harriet Tubman NEVER said that quote. We got to do a better job knowing what’s real and what’s false about our history.

When you tell a child to do something and a child says no...the child only knows the situation they are in. Are there children that would refuse no matter what you do to them? When a person learns what no means then it becomes a choice.

a choice...between a slow death and an immediate one.

Man nobody knows how it was back then lol people act like the slaves could go to the slave master and say “ I’m not being a slave anymore, I’m leaving “ 😂 do you think they wanted to be slaves?

but when using black and white to describe someone is totally different though. If there are two men standing beside each other, they have the same exact close on, same height, same build, .etc. I guess people want you say "they gentlemen on the left/right", But I just don't think saying "black guy" is falling into racism. What's falling into racism is when you think lesser of the "black guy" or treat him differently/worse BECAUSE of those engrained stereotypes. THAT is what falls into it. It's about how we see each other, but to there are just so many layers underneath that have to be handled before we even talk about using the terms "black" and "white". Because using those terms didn't always come with connotations. That didn't start happening until like after AD.

We always interview entertainers and athletes about history 🙄

The exact quote was "for 400 years? That sounds like a choice." His point was that slavery ended ~150 years ago and we've made tons of progress since then, that if you still have the slave mindset/are mentally enslaved, that's a choice.

Haitian fought back....

I have a few things I want to say about this. First, who knows what Kanye meant when he said what he said? He should've explained himself instead of leaving room for interpretation. Second, WTF is a slavery family reunion? Why would anyone in their right mind go to that? WOW! I can't believe I heard that shit.

That's interesting, Think John was able to break it down.

*@ **2:26** ... Harriet Tubman never actually said that ever. That is a myth. L👀 K it up*

Slavery wasnt no choice they(our ancestors) always rebelled, dont get it twisted

What I wanna know (rhetorical question) is what happens when the slave now becomes aware of the information of a new life outside of bondage and yet still chooses it. Harriet talks about not knowing you were a slave but Malcom X talks about being complacent in slavery.

bless his heart. old salley. my sister was testing coordinator at his school his scores were so low they just passed him to get him out of there. hang in there

Damn everyone is going to Ghana 🇬🇭 I haven’t been there in 20 years I gotta go back home.

Good job spider ✊🏾😎

Harriet Tubman didn't say that

what John Salley said in this interview is not what Kanye was trying to say. LOL

Hope this comes up in another interview with DL Hughley.

The world true already know that we all are slaves look up the word employee we have to pay taxes for purchasing something or before we get our check if that's not slavery I don't know what is

I agree comptley!

The gentleman with the clipboard.

that's why Kanye said slave mentality, people overlooked what he was trying to say

VLAD’s little slavery joke was wack.

Very wise analysis of that situation. Harriet was right. We all have limiting beliefs and expectations that impact us every day.

An absence of racism in Europe? Vlad I grew up in NY and have been living in Italy for the past 14 years. Racism is way worse here than in New York. No question at all. You don't have Black doctors, Black lawyers, Black Police, Black Teachers and I could go on and on. It's not bad for African American tourists who come to visit Italy if they wear their Americanism on their sleeve but if they mistake you for African here in Italy you are not a second rate citizen but less than that. It becomes hard renting a home and having basic human rights. It's different, it's not a hate based racism like the south of the US where Blacks were getting lynched, it's more of a systemic social classism where Blacks are just excluded from all major fields of work thus upward mobility becomes nearly impossible. Sorry but I feel I had to check you on that. A lot has changed since WW2 where African Americans came here and they were the novelty and there wasn't mass migration from Africa.

when you put it that way how Salley just did. That same mentality is still very prevalent. People stay where they are because that's all they know.

We're still on plantations! They were just incorporated and falsely called states.

God bless the soul of John horse a true Black American soldier

Sorry but slavery and choice don't belong in the same sentence

vlad clearly isnt that informed on slavery lol every time he brings this topic up he regurgitates the basic shit anybody would know. “black slaves, hundreds of years, treated terribly, etc” he clearly isn’t educated on american slavery. learn first then have these types of talks.

i wonder why he keeps taking up for Kayne

people trying to explain what kanye "meant to say" is the definition of mental gymnastics. If you need to jump through hoops and false equivalencies to explain your point you probably just should have phrased it differently to begin with.

There's no justification of Kanye West ignorant comments

well said Mr. John Salley.

I don't believe that is what Kanye thought.

Didn't he mean enslaved mentally because i'm pretty sure he said he was talking about over a span of 400 years

Wow John you should know that the Harriet Tubman quote was fake..smh

Racism doesn't exist in Africa but tribalism does and religion also is a major issue here. But the the real problem is the hatred Africans have for themselves. Don't get me wrong love and unity exist here but the hatred is on another level and it reflects in our society.

John no stop trying to clean up what Kanye said. Choice and slavery can never be used in the same sentence

There’s no record of her saying that

Салют Влад, can you interview Dan Calloway.✊️

They found that when they did autopsies on the bodies of slaves, many of them had been worked to death, based on how their muscles had literally been pulled from the bone, I doubt very seriously someone would work themselves to that point, who would choose to do that?

We are all slaves now and don't know it.

This was deep.

Interesting

Yo Vlad can you interview 70thStreetCarlos?

Harriet Tubman never said that.

I figured it out!!! Vlad is “Mr. Me Too”

Harriet Tubman never said that......

I love how he tries to save Kanye from that fuckery statement. Partial salute.

Kanye was talking about how many artists take these bad record deals without caring or understanding the consequences. Some artists sign their life away on the dotted line and have no understanding of what they did and how much money they will lose ... Hence slavery is a choice.

He said "Slavery sounds like a choice" ...damn get the quote right.

Nice try John salley. Kanye didn’t think that deeply about slaves not knowing they were slaves. His comments were just what they sounded like.

Me and my family are going to Africa . Vlad : Yeah I've been to Senegal . So what Vlad ! Hello !? not about you .

Good interview. That's crazy he was invited to meet the descendants slave owners, that's a uncomfortable situation, but it could be positive. Maybe gain some insight of what life was like back then. He has money, mayb e he should buy the land.

Hold on, it's not racist to call a black guy a black guy. I have to get in touch with John Salley and DJ Vlade.

John Salley is high as hell

My people who know who we are & understand why it was choice and still is a choice we are slaves, also know we can change that. You want it to change come back to The Most High's laws, Statues, and Commandments. So proper order can be established.

Broke em mentally, yet their still broken mentally facts!

John Salley high as fuck 😂😂😂

Good Ole Wagner Salley South Carolina!

Harriet actually didn’t say that.

The slave trade was in progress 700 years before the transatlantic slave trade.

he said slavery was just 100 years let see in 1620-25 to 1865 =? then they had peonage slavery up to 1940's and some will say it's still going on.

Slavery was a choice either live or die make your choice like Jigsaw says...

Vlad, there is no « absence » of racism in Africa much less in Europe. You may want to learn more about racism in Europe. It may not be as overt as it is in the US but it’s widespread with a deep and troublesome and horrific history. Do the knowledge.

Sally went to a family reunion with descendents of his former slave master in 2018 😃😆

Kanye doesn’t know

Not everyone under servitude died by fighting back

2:37 First he tried to explain why Kanye said they had a choice, then he said they didn't know any better so they didn't have a choice.. Which is it? Kanye is a grown man, so I don't care what he meant to say, I focus on what he said. & what he said is some bullshit.

He said Africa was absent of racism

jon salley is dope

Vlad Please Don't Joke About It

just recorded sales

Brainwashing is the reason why slavery lasted for so long . People didn’t know they were slaves . My sister don’t even know how low life she is . I tried to help her but she’s lost .

i knew exactly what KANYE meant it's too bad KANYE didn't know exactly what he meant

Freedom or death sums it up as a choice. Fear God alone. Do you think Malcolm X or Martin Luther King Jr. did not know that death was an option?

sad

5:22 WTF was the point in saying, "I've been to Senegal" 😆 🤣 😂 😹 that had NOTHING to do with John saying he's going to Ghana 🇬🇭 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆 🤣 Couldn't resist huh

Why did the slave owners give their slaves their last name?

Kanye couldn't even explain his own words... how tf someone else speaking for him

Yeah!...The Haitens Kicked The Ass Out!...

Be free or die trying… yup, i agree with Mr. West . Slavery was a choice

I watch you interviews Vlad & it's clear you don't get it.

Vulture laughs on every interview he mentions slavery. Pay attention.

Biblically our ancestors had a choice,God or false idols. The slavery that we as a people went through was not of choice. Staying there in slavery was not a choice. No matter how hard we tried to overcome we were never given an opportunity let alone a choice. No matter how lanye phrases it we were never given a choice. During jim crow,where was the choice. During the korean and vietnam wars where men were drafted and denied their freedom of choice,where is the choice. When Colin chose to kneel for injustices that lasted well over 400 years and continues today,look at the results of his choice. Dr. King,Malcolm X had a choice and see where it got them. In order to have choice,freedom must come with it. To have freedom,one must make difficult choices. You can't have one without the other.

I'm buying a house in Accra ghana.