PATTI LABELLE - LABELLE PRAISES 'HONEST' WEST

LABELLE PRAISES 'HONEST' WEST

Soul legend PATTI LABELLE has hailed KANYE WEST for his insistence on telling the truth. The GOLD DIGGER hitmaker caused controversy last year (05) when he declared US President GEORGE W BUSH "doesn't care about black people" during a fundraising telecast for victims Hurricane Katrina. And LaBelle insists his honesty is reflected in candid rapping too. She tells MTV, "Kanye is somebody who I really love. He says things people should listen to. Rap does not have to be what some people perceive it's about. They think it's gonna be nasty, lowdown and dirty when it's just telling the truth about life itself. "You heard what Kanye said about the president - you know the boy tells nothing but the truth."