It's hard to stay mad at Kanye West.
Sure, he's done a lot of foolish things lately and gone on a lot of hurtful rants. But he has been like a wayward son who strayed and couldn't find his way back home.
West has finally indicated that he's ready to get off that contentious road he's been traveling and head back to a more familiar path.
He tweeted: "My eyes are now wide open and now realize I've been used to spread messages I don't believe in. I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative!!!"
What is interesting about West's latest revelation is that it took another African-American who believes in President Donald Trump to make him realize that Republicans have been making a fool of him.
It isn't clear whether West's latest lightbulb moment also applies to Trump. We can only hope so.
What we do know is that he's pretty upset with Candace Owens, the black conservative activist who used West's name on the logo for her Blexit campaign encouraging African-Americans to leave the Democratic Party.
Though Owens later clarified that West hadn't actually designed the logo himself, the whole thing didn't sit well with the rapper.
"I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo," he tweeted recently without identifying the designer. "They didn't want their name on it so she used mine. I never wanted any association with Blexit. I have nothing to do with it."
It is easy to dismiss everything that comes out of West's mouth these days, especially when he's donning that "Make America Great Again" cap. But if you listen closely, some of the things he says might make sense.
You have to understand that most of West's comments aren't meant for white people. He's talking to black people, specifically teenagers and young adults. That's why his message might get more traction as the lyrics of a rap song.
The problem is that his tendency to hug on Trump makes him seem like a buffoon. Any African-American man who would call Trump "my brother" the way West did loses all credibility, especially with other black people.
Still, some African-Americans understood what West might have meant by that controversial slavery remark. Perhaps he wasn't saying that slavery at the time it was legally practiced was a choice African-Americans had. Maybe he meant that the mental slavery some blacks impound themselves in today is a choice.
And when he called the 13th Amendment "slavery in disguise meaning it never ended," some would say he has a point.
This is what the 13th Amendment says: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
Perhaps he meant to say that America's prison system has flourished under the 13th Amendment. Blacks represent only 12 percent of the U.S. adult population but 33 percent of the sentenced prison population. Perhaps one form of slavery has been exchanged for another.
"A liberal would try to control a black person through the concept of racism because they know we're very proud, emotional people," he said. "So when I said, 'I like Trump' to someone that's liberal they'll say, 'Oh, but he's racist.' You think racism can control me? Oh, that don't stop me. That's an invisible wall."
Maybe he wasn't implying that racism isn't a problem. Maybe he was referring to the popular school of thought that some liberals use racism as a rope to keep African-Americans tied to the Democratic Party.
West's latest tweets shed some light on why Republicans still can't lure more African-Americans over to their side. It's simply because blacks tend to agree with the Democratic Party on many important issues. Most blacks have nothing in common with the ideals of the Republican Party.
This is what West says he actually believes in: "I support creating jobs and opportunities for people who need them the most, I support prison reform, I support common-sense gun laws that will make our world safer," he tweeted.
On these issues, West likely speaks for the majority of African-Americans. It seems like he's finally back on track.
If so, welcome home, brother. We hope you're here to stay.
Dahleen Glanton (dglanton@chicagotribune.com) is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.