Kanye West -- I Ain't Saying Kim's a Gold Digger ... But the Black Thing Is Real

Kanye West roasted his wife Kim Kardashian for her legendary love of the black man ... and brought the house down at the BET Honors.

Kanye was accepting the Visionary Award at the ceremony -- which was pre-taped, but aired Monday night -- and talked about how guys in Chicago barbershops talk about black men in entertainment hooking up with white women ... and white women nabbing rich black guys.

You gotta watch for the punch line because he absolutely nails Kim ... and then concludes, "It ain't got nothing to do with the money."

Ye also recalls a story Kim told him ... about her dad, Robert Kardashian, losing it when someone spray painted "ni**er lover" on his car -- and how he used it to teach Kim a lesson about racism.

Check it out ... it's Kanye at his funniest and most poignant.