Jay-Z, Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Matt Damon are among the celebrities who applauded Kanye West's attack on George Bush's policy Friday.

The rapper-producer, who was taking part in A Concert For Hurricane Relief, an NBC live telethon for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, spoke out about the treatment of the black people in the disaster, slamming George Bush for his attitude towards the New Orleans crisis.

West's Def Jam colleague Jay-Z says, "I'm backing Kanye 100 per cent. This is America. You should be able to say what you want to say. We have freedom of speech.

"(The slow response to the disaster) is really numbing. You can't believe it's happening in America. You wonder, what's going on? Why were people so slow to react? I don't understand it."

Combs notes, "I think he spoke from his heart. He spoke what a lot of people feel... It ain't adding up, man. It's not making sense. If the reporters can get there and you all can get there with microphones, somebody should be able to get there with food."

Damon adds, "This guy with his moment on live television made a statement that hopefully now Bush will come out and address, because he doesn't have to address anything else...

The White House Press Corp, they should all have their credentials taken away. Not one of them's an honest journalist. Not one of them asked a question of the guy."