WASHINGTON, Sept 3: US hip-hop artist Kanye West accused President George Bush of not caring about black people on a live television fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Visibly emotional, Kanye West on Friday broke from the script and attacked the president for the slow response to the humanitarian crisis in the majority black city.

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people!” he said on the NBC show before the cameras cut to another host who put the fundraiser back on track.

West also slammed the media for how it had reported on the crisis.

“I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, ‘They’re looting.’ You see a white family, it says, ‘They’re looking for food.’ And, you know, it’s been five days (waiting for federal help) because most of the people are black,” he said.

In a statement released after the broadcast, NBC said the fundraiser “was a live television event wrought with emotion.

“Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks,” the company said.—AFP