Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike say Black communities in the US “are used to politicians failing them”

Run the Jewels MC Killer Mike has said that Black communities in the US “are used to politicians failing them.”

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In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Killer Mike said throughout history, Black communities have been failed by politicians who have failed to protect them.

He said: “In terms of the conditions in my community, we’ve been feeling that rage over a lot of presidents. I remember my grandparents talking about Nixon. I remember my parents talking about the disappointment of life under Reagan.

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“Bill Clinton, although he professed himself an ally, supported more prison programs than a lot of previous presidents, and used black prisoners and poor white prisoners as props when he gave a speech in front of a Confederate monument at Stone Mountain. I’m not saying Trump isn’t horrible. I’m just saying that the black community is used to politicians failing them.”

Killer Mike and El-P
Run The Jewels. CREDIT: Timothy Saccenti

El-P added: “I’ve always thought of Trump as the tumour that finally makes it evident that you have a cancer that you need to deal with. He is the most obvious sign that there has been a sickness that has been developing and festering for a long time. The fact of the matter is, when me and Mike made these songs, we’re battling in our minds and our hearts something that is way larger than just one man.”

Killer Mike added recent protests in the US have left him hopeful for the future – especially seeing communities uniting over Trump as their “common enemy.”

He said: “I’m encouraged that Americans are seeing that we have a common enemy right now. I’m encouraged that the march for the rights of black citizens is being connected to the fight for women’s rights, for the rights of legal and illegal immigrants, for a lot of other fights for basic human rights.

“Everyone has hit an ‘enough is enough’ point. But yeah, being angry is a lifelong affliction for the black community. Channeling it is tougher.”

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Earlier this month (June 6), Killer Mike urged fans to think to the long-term in their protests against police brutality and use their vote.

His message followed the death of George Floyd, an African-American man, who was killed when a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes as he lay on the ground during an arrest. Mass protests calling out racism have since taken place across the US and all over the world.

He also spoke out about the death of Rayshard Brooks, who was fatally shot after a confrontation with Atlanta police on June 12.

“I am mad as hell and I am saddened beyond consolation,” the Run The Jewels rapper wrote on Instagram. “#RayshardBrooks should be alive this morning. He should be waking up (hungover or drunk in the tank depending on whether he was apprehended) and not dead.”

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