TMZ Live

DeRay Mckesson -- a prominent leader of the Black Lives Matter movement -- says Kanye West's right about one thing -- slavery was a choice ... but it was the choice of white people.

We spoke with DeRay Tuesday after Kanye's explosive visit to the TMZ newsroom, in which the rapper said 400 years of slavery "sounds like a choice" ... and the civil rights activist believes Kanye's got a warped sense of history.

Mckesson calls out Kanye for victim-blaming, and reiterates his point -- oppressed people don't have a choice about the bad things inflicted on them.

DeRay also believes Kanye's simply not making sense because he's uninformed, but has a suggestion on how he can fix that problem.

Kanye West just told the TMZ newsroom why he believes slavery is a choice and why he decided to sport his Make America Great Again hat ... and it all went down Tuesday morning on "TMZ Live."

Kanye appeared on the show with Candace Owens where they explained "free thought" and how it can make the world a better place ... from a place of love.

During the conversation Kanye said, "When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice."

Van from our newsroom took great offense and fired back. Things got intense and ultimately led to a face-to-face at Van's desk.

There's A LOT more that went down -- and it's all on today on "TMZ Live"