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Kanye West has defended former US president George Bush after he said criticism from the rapper was "an all-time low" in his presidency.

During a benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 West said Bush "didn't care about black people".

Speaking on stage at a secret gig in New York West blamed the media.

He said: "Because of the popularity of me, they exploited that to make you watch the interview, and make you think he was stupider than ever."

West added that he was "emotional" when he made the original comments.

"The whole time I'm thinking in my mind, 'That's not exactly what I wanted to say'," he said. "That was not the way I wanted to word it."

He added: "Just as Taylor [Swift] never came to my defence in any interview [about West's interruption of her MTV speech in 2009] and rode the wave, and rode it, and rode it.

"That's the way I rode the way rode the Bush comment."

Earlier this month in an interview with NBC's Today show, George Bush said Kanye West accused him of being racist.

He said: "I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now.

"It's one thing to say, 'I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business.' It's another thing to say, 'This man's a racist.'

"I resent it, it's not true. And it was one of the most disgusting moments in my presidency."

Kanye West made his comments defending Bush during a show to promote his new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy at New York's Bowery Ballroom.

Yeezy played the album in full along with a number of guests including Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Pusha T, John Legend and Bon Iver.