Kanye backpedals on politics

Three weeks after a bizarre White House meeting with US President Donald Trump, rapper Kanye West said on Tuesday he was distancing himself from politics.

West, Trump’s biggest celebrity supporter, also sought to distance himself from a new campaign that encourages black Americans to quit the Democratic Party.

“My eyes are now wide open and now realise I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative!!!” West tweeted, without mentioning Trump, who is a Republican, or any other names.

The singer and fashion designer, who has said he is bipolar, also said he “never wanted any association” with a campaign launched last weekend called Blexit that seeks to draw African-Americans away from their longstanding support for Democrats.