Kayne West says the influence of his "Bush doesn't care about black people" comment surprised him.

The rapper hit out on a telethon in September to raise aid money for the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

"What surprised me most was the impact of my voice on NBC," he explained. "It's just magical that I can say something that's a popular opinion and it really has an impact."

"I didn't think about Bush until the telethon," added the star. "I saw him (on TV) - I'm like: 'Wait a second, dude, that guy over there, he doesn't care.' But America was already headed that way. I think it was a common opinion."