Kanye West refuses to apologise to wheelchair users at Sydney concert claiming he is the victim

The singer blamed the media for demonising him in an on-stage rant

Singer, rapper and self-professed 'Yeezus', Kanye West (Getty Images)

Kanye West has spoken out for the first time about asking two disabled fans to stand up during a recent concert in Sydney.

But instead of apologising, the singer blamed the media for demonising him in a five-minute rant on stage in Brisbane, claiming he was just a “married, Christian man” who did not intend to do anything wrong.

In true Kanye style, the singer turned the incident on its head to present himself as the victim, demanding that the media “pick a new target”.

“They want the masses, the people who have never even heard one of my albums to somehow read a headline… and think I’m a bad person,” he said.

“At my concerts, I make sure everybody has as good a time as possible. So all this demonizing me, it aint’ goin’ to work after a while. Pick a new target. Pick a new target. Because I’m not one of these dumbass artists that you’re used to.”

He added he had good intentions and always wanted his fans to have a fun time at his concerts.

“Look at me for a second. Take a step back and look at this. I’m a married, Christian man with a family. At my concerts I make sure everybody has as good of a time as possible,” he said.

The rapper also made a claim to his “artistry”, telling the crowd he has spent 12 years releasing “positive music”.

“This is rap f***in music! This is real expression. This is real artistry. You know, an artist’s career doesn’t happen in one cycle of news – an artist’s career happens in a lifetime. And if you’re a true artist, you’re willing to die for what you believe in.”

Kanye’s comments follow an incident at his concert in Sydney that saw him ask every member of the audience to stand up for his song "Good Life", including asking one seated fan who he later realised was in a wheelchair.

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When a fan waved her prosthetic limb in the air, the rapper realised he made a mistake and quickly said: “Okay, you fine”.

In the past, West has shown support for disabled fans. In June he asked his security team to give a wheelchair user his microphone as a gift after realising he had been blocked in and was unable to see his show.

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