KANYE WEST LAUNCHES PRESIDENTIAL BID

Rapper Kanye West has officially launched his US presidential bid in an unorthodox rally in which he ranted about historical figure Harriet Tubman and broke down over abortion, according to a report from Euronews.

The event, which took place in North Charleston in South Carolina, was West's first campaign event since declaring earlier this month that he would be contesting the presidential election in November 2020 against Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

West delivered a lengthy monologue to the crowd in which he appeared to be making policy announcements off the cuff, touching on topics from abortion and religion to international trade and licensing deals.

Whether he is actually seeking the US' highest political office remains a question

• Kanye West says he will run for US president

West used part of his speech to criticise Harriet Tubman, one of the most respected figures of 19th century America. An African American who escaped slavery, she helped enslaved Black men and women travel north to freedom and fought for the Union during the Civil War. She later became a supporter of women's suffrage.

Despite Tubman's work for what was known as the "Underground Railroad," West claimed she "never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people."

On abortion, West said that while he believes it should be legal, financial incentives to help struggling mothers could be a way to discourage the practice.

“Everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars,” he said as an example.