To be a black man in america means having the weight of the world on your shoulders. It forces a different outlook, it gives a different perspective. It is being often talked about, but rarely being spoken to. It means being your Brothers Keeper. Dont move, a vote. Standing tall, proud, and unapologetic. Navigating america as a black man comes with a different style, a cadence, a rhythm thats all our own. But at this moment, more than anything, it means challenging the status quo and remaking politics in our own image. From the Street Corner to capitol hill. What do you have to lose . Look, what do you have to lose . Its a moment where we defined our narrative for ourselves. Where we get to say who we are. What we believe and what matters most. I am trymaine lee, a journalist and storyteller, who has spent nearly two decades telling our truth. And i am Charles Coleman jr. , A Civil Rights attorney whose passion for the voices and the issues of communities. This is a journey to understanding what it means to be a black man today in a highly divided nation. A show about how we see america and how we experience it as one of the most important and still most overlooked voting blocks, and how america sees us. This is black men in america road to 2024. Welcome to this conversation. Whats, up my boy . How are you feeling . Chilling . Lets get this thing started. Ive been waiting for this for a while. Its time. For a while. Lets get going. What was your first conception of black manhood, when you knew it was a thing, what a black man is . So, i grew up watching a lot of action movies. So you had, like, james bond, indiana jones, all these people who were rugged white dudes. John wayne. Right. And then the first thing that sort of tip me off toward just from a Pure Masculinity Standpoint was karl lewis in Action Jackson. Action jackson was the deal. It was that deal, right . For me, we were always surprised surrounded by black females. G. I. Joe, roadblocks. Our eyes and ears were tuned to that. I think those were the earliest, Action Jackson was a big one. Billy d, of course. But often, in my family, my uncles. They were really important to me. Being a black man in america is kind of complicated. It often means experiencing a multitude of forces and identities bound together. Sometimes in concert, sometimes colliding. We are loved and hated. We are feared and revered. We are a lot of things. But we are no monolith. We are the epitome of nuance. With another president ial election on the horizon, we are checking in with black men at the sometimes Great Intersection Of Culture and politics, to hear what matters most in their communities and at the ballot box. My brother, my brother. How are you feeling . Everything is good, blessed and highly favored. Happy birthday, again. You are 40 years old, man. You, that is a blessing. Thank you, man. New decade. To be a black man at 40, i made it this far, that is a gift. Totally. I think sometimes you take that for granted, you know . Then we have parties and celebrations once you get older, you kind of realize, everyone dont make it to that age. Thats right, thats right. Even when its long, your life is still short. Youve got to marinate in it. What would you say is the biggest thing you are thinking about going into 2024 . For me its absolutely two things. Safety and the wealth gap that exists between blacks and the rest of the country. When you say safety, what do you mean . Public safety and Police Brutality issues, things like that. As the father to a young man, that is paramount in my life for the past 25 years. I grew up in an area where gangs were prevalent. I was more concerned about my son being stopped and shot by the police than i was about gang violence. Im agreeing with not. I think wealth gap is something that is extremely important in this next election. Our generation is kind of in a space where we are earning a little bit more. Some of us might be in that dynamic where we are earning more than our parents did. We kind of have this survivors remorse kind of mindset, of where do we kind of fallen society these days, you know what i mean . Yeah, wealth gap. Whether it is Police Violence or political violence, black men are sometimes targets and sometimes shields. To understand why being either matters, and to dig into a host of other issues, we decided to connect with three black man who, in their own ways, have taken issues affecting our communities head on. The Reverend Al Sharpton is a legend in both the civil rights activism. He has been fighting the power for more than 60 years, and hes also the host of the Prophet Program politicsnation on msnbc. Benjamin crump is often referred to as Black Americas attorney general. Hes A Civil Rights lawyer whos represented the families of dozens of unjustly killed Black Americans, including ahmaud arbery, george floyd, and breonna taylor. And beneath the butcher is an acclaimed rap artist from buffalo, new york. He is a pillar and an institution in that city. He was instrumental in supporting the White Supremacist add the Buffalo Grocery store in may of 2022. As blackmon, 2020 for what is the biggest thing you are listening for in terms of someone who is asking for your vote . One issue. Equal protection under the law, Criminal Justice. Everything else can begin and end if we are protected to live under the law like Everybody Else. I cant be economic freedom, yall. Once we have economic freedom, you know, all the other freedoms are attainable. Education, Quality Health care, making sure youve got good police in your community. But right now how many funerals will reverend al have to pay for because black people cant even afford Life Insurance . My thing is, like, something thats going to directly affect my community. From being a rapper, a lot of those issues, its there for us to clean up. You know what im saying . One people call my phone, its the holiday season. People call my phone all the time, they need things for their kids, they cant do certain things. Anything thats going to directly affect my community, you know what im, saying where it will take a load off of us, a burden off our shoulders, i am all for it. Thats what im going for. You know where im going. I know where you are going. You know im going. About saying that you would support trump. Do you still feel like . That this is what im going to say. Ive learned a lot since that day, that comes from frustration about things not being right in my community. And wanting to try a different way, you know what im saying . What i learned, im not a political person, i am just boots on the ground in the city every day. Its very few changes that reach down, trickle down in our community. I have a lot of flak back from that, but what i realize is this. I did realize that a lot of black people voted trump. They just dont put it out there like i did. I havent voted since obama. You know what im saying . I dont think anything has driven me to go to the polls. I will be honest, man. The one thing i believe is that hes got to get to the streets. If they want us to be motivated to come out and vote, weve got to make sure people know what the administration is doing. I think the administration is doing a lot. They just aint messaging it right to the neighborhood in our community. Trump in them, youve gotta give them a little credit for this. They do go get there base red meat. What is it about black . When theres a sizable chunk of us leaning trump, because of the machismo, the disaffection. Why so many brothers find something appealing that trump . I think is a lot of machismo. I think a lot of plays that swagger. Summarily needed. I think it was wrong alienation. But i kept telling a lot of the sisters, and dont just talk about black women. Talk about black men magic. Am i right . You 100 right, man. Its just like, not being versed politically, knowing what i know. Its like, you know, trump wears who he is in front of us. It was disappointing, maybe being behind biden, coming out and figuring out his stance from previous years. Maybe we thought this guy was a different guy. We like to take people at face value. We like to see who people are when they stand in front of us. Sometimes its not easy to tell who people are. You know something, i think it is a true messaging problem. Because when i think, we are thinking about the Criminal Justice, Police Brutality piece , i mean, the biden administrations doj has done more than all the other administrations combined, practically. I mean, christian this is, through the first black woman she has prosecuted more Police Officers than biden and won the cases. Reagan, trump, clinton, combined. She said, no, i am going to call balls and strikes. If you show me a video where they killed ahmaud arbery, kicking in and lying about rihanna taylor, they killing tyre nichols, she said im prosecuting. And then shes been doing. It they attack her for it. As a former prosecutor, the thing that i would always have to deal with it is this notion of the circular argument, we go where the crime is. I tell people all the time, if youre looking for something, you will find it. Right. It is self filling in terms of, no, you are going and finding crime. If you look somewhere else, guess what, you will find the crime as well. They come up with things to profile us for. And, so whatever laws were made, i believe this with my heart. We can get rid of all the crime in america overnight, just like that, if people ask how change the definition of crime. Of course. If you get to define what conduct is going to be made criminal, you cant predict who the trouble is going to be. Our existence they made the laws that way. They made the loss to criminalize our culture, black culture. I mean, i think about eric garner, i think about stuff like that. I did nothing, im sitting here the whole time. Dont touch me. Do not touch me. Guy lost his life. And then george floyd was trying to you have to think about the profiling things that come up with two profile us for. Pretext reasons, it happens every day. They say, you cant wear baggy pants. Make that a crime. Right. You cant have milk cartons in your yard, make that a crime. Come and mess with black people once they have the confrontation, and then they just snowballed from there. They find other things. The violent repercussions. But 2022 had the highest recorded number of Police Killings ever on record. And we werent marching the way we were marching. All the reform that was supposed to happen, we had a Record Number 2022. The reforms failed, it didnt make it. Why are we where we are . Because weve got to have movements, not moments. And thats what i said when we was in the thick of trayvon, george floyd. Everybody gets mad for a moment. Oh, we dont even want to deal with the traditional if you dont have traditional organizations lined with those young folk so that those moments turned into movements, they just let it pass. And once it passes, its gone. Coming up on black men in america, the road to 2024, from brooklyn to capitol hill, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries talks about the upcoming election and whether america has held up its end of the deal for African Americans. Has america made good on its promise to black men . And if so, how so . If not, how not . And later, we are kicking it with Grammy Nominated artist jeezy about why some black men are backing donald trump. At least you know what his agenda is, because he tells you. Like they, say The Devil You Know is better than the one you dont. We will be right back. E wil start your day with nature made. 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We make money from ads, but they dont follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. It almost became a clichi in a, drug you see trump and blacks for trump, those signs, its almost a joke but some of those are serious. It is something real. I wonder how much of that is mitt and how much of that is reality in terms of, are we talking about outliers . Or are we talking about a significant enough portion thats going to shift where the electorate moves . Trump has become this Unlikely Hero to some for Criminal Justice. When he asks, what has trump done for black . Looks a lot of people say, the that is resonating with some people. To get some insight into why some Blackmon Support the republicans, charles had the Basketball Court at howard university, with former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele. In 2009, he became the first black person to chair the rnc, but in 2020 he voted for joe biden, after trump said the data deadly charlottesville riot, which featured White Supremacists and not see protesters, had fine people on both sides. Hes now one of the cohost of the weekend on msnbc. We also met up with john smith. At one point, he was the highest ranking black person in the trump white house, advising and negotiating with the ex president on policy positions around criminal Justice Reform, opportunity zones, and funding for historically black colleges and university. Is there any reason that in blackmon should find himself voting republican in the president ial election . I think theres a lot of reasons to vote republican. We have, for the first time, in my experience, a real platform that speaks to Black Americans. Everything from Economic Empowerment to affordability, to continue to do work on safe communities and Justice Reform. That Republican Party doesnt exist in my view right now. For the numbers, we both sat down with political pollster and strategist cornell belcher, a key adviser to Barack Obamas 2008 and 2012 campaigns. He is also a contributor for msnbc and nbc news. Men, overall, vote more republican than, women rebar regardless of it seems odd to a lot of people, given the loyalty that black people have for the Democratic Party to see blacks for trump. What does that say . I wouldnt say its a loyalty blacks half for the Democratic Party, but i think it is blacks making rational decisions based on how they see issues and the issue agenda. When you look at African Americans voting for trump, blacks are susceptible to just like white people are. How critical will the Blackmail Vote for democrats or republicans . How important are we as a block for what happens next . In a lot of Battleground States, it determines who wins or loses. On the court with Michael Steele and jarod smith, charles asked smith why he became republican in the first place. I saw that despite who was president , clearly i came up with the riots looking the same. I was like, what the Republican Party dont have is someone with my world view. I went out on this whole mission to like, look, if its a republican president , we need someone to talk to him. Are you still on the trump train . Im still on yes, honestly. When it comes to reforming the Criminal Justice system. The conservatives that were against Justice Reform, they wouldnt have done if it wasnt for president trump. How do you then square your support for a man who says at a rally, maybe the police need to rough them up a little bit more. Maybe they need to be more aggressive. But then when that candidate goes out in front of an entire nation of folks and says that, how do you then go, this is my guy . It makes my job a lot harder, i tell you. That especially working with the black community. Lets take charlottesville, for example. Right after that, he had this meeting with senator scott. Senator scott talked about opportunity zones. Opportunities owns a place based economic hes that brought 50 Billion Dollars in new capital into low income systems throughout the country. Here is the translation problem. Charlottesville happens. Senator scott goes to the white house. The conversation then moves to opportunities owens. Right. I was about the point that out. Right. Im so glad you said that. You missed the part where you go, they are fine people on both sides. And thats where the black voice inside the administration has to matter. Because in that moment, the conversation isnt about, well, here are opportunities owns. The conversation is, mister president , you just equalized the klan with what happened on that street in charlottesville, and so they are fine people. Thats not the conversation and Black America wants to hear from you right now. Thats where i drew the line. Thats where ive always drawn the line. When i walk in the, ruin im bringing this in the room. Im going to bring it to the table, a reflection of the experience of my community. If you look at how cozy not only donald trumps, but a lot of the republicans who are running with white nationalists or how they will condemn that, it makes it problematic for African Americans who see rising racism and discrimination as a top issue of concern. And yet, belcher says somewhere between 12 to 15 of black men have been voting republican for decades. And hes not seen any significant changes in either direction anytime soon. But what is changing, the margins are getting tighter. The top threat to political power for our community is Blacks Voting donald trump, it is African Americans disengaging. There is so much disillusionment and growing cynicism about either party that activism will take an off ramp. The parties are on the off ramp. Is there any point in suggesting that black, when especially in mass, will be taking that off ramp . Take en masse. If 10 of black men vote for the party, the election is over. Thats just 10 . The election is over. It doesnt take a lot of these numbers. Its not like these Battleground States are being won by large margins. They are not. Should democrats be worried . Yes, they should be. Absolutely. Because theyve squandered the relationship. Very much like republicans squandered the relationship. And so, you have, right now, this look over towards what trump is. Because what they are getting now is not meeting their political interests or their political needs. What are both sides doing wrong . Everything. [laughter] everything. What could both sides do better . Just acknowledge our history. Can you just acknowledge our history in this country . Next on black men in america, the road to 2024, we are speaking with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries about whether the partys message is resonating with voters. And you know we had to ask him one of the most pressing questions of our time. I have the most important question in this entire interview. Biggie, jayz, or not . Youve gotta get that last one. Youve gotta get that last one. Wanna know why people are getting a covid19 shot . Im turning the big seveno and getting back on the apps. Ha ha ha. Variants are out there. And i have mouths to feed. Big show coming up, so we got ours and that blue bandage . Never goes out of style. I prioritize my health. Also, the line was short. Didnt get a covid19 shot in the fall . Theres still time. Book online or go to your local pharmacy. U. S. Legislature. On his shoulders, others would stand. An political giants like john lewis, james clyburn, a logic cummings, and barack obama, all who graced the halls of congress. In 2023, blackmon stood even taller, making history with brooklyn new yorks own Hakeem Jeffries if officially assuming the role of houston accredits leader. Becoming the first person of color to lead a Major American Political Party and the legislature. In this historic moment, with the future of our democracy in question, and with black voters looking for answers, we went to d. C. To talk with jeffries about how his partys message is resonating with voters. And if black voices are still being hard on capitol hill. One thing thats interesting. Really you want representation of people, which is lacking in so many of these quarters here. But to see Hakeem Jeffries, his rise has been very interesting. It is. He emerged from a place that is very unlikely. Hes or brooklyn guy. I think that that is a lot of what we are talking about. Bo even as he is probably the closest thing to you or me that we have seen in that space, young, black, undeniably black. Undeniable. Hakeem. The brothers name is hakeem. Coming from brooklyn. Its going to be very interesting to find out how he navigates. Its been awhile. Its been a long while since i chase you in the state house of albany. A lot has changed. I want to see how you evolved. And also how you experienced the blackmon as america. How is it shaped your Leadership Style . When i transitioned from my prior position as chair of the House Democratic caucus, it wasnt an extraordinary change. I thought about it at this context of growing up in the brooklyn hospital. Raised in the cornerstone of raftest church. Coming of age in the midst of the cap crack cocaine epidemic. Being able to emerge to serve as the house of representatives, and ultimately lead the Democratic Party in the congress. It was a classic example. As a principle in america, the representative democracy, by the, people for the people, and of the people, is not just a concept. That is what the framers actually aspired to create. Today, hakeems Leadership Style is quite simple. Spread love. It is the brooklyn way. [applause] they might not have been Vincent Somebody named Hakeem Jeffries for this particular physician. Theyve aspired to this concept of the house in particular being the closest to the american people, and reflecting the hopes, dreams, and aspirations, the fears, the concerns, the anxieties, and the passions of the american people. E in part informed by their life experiences. Have they made good on their promise to blackmon, and if so, how so, if not, have not . That was fredericton glass making the observation that it is easier to build strong children than it is to repair a broken man. He said that in the 18 hundreds. It is a principle which still applies today. Over the last several years, i think that statistically it is clear that a atlot of progress has been made for the African American community generally, and for African American men specifically in terms of the stewardship of president joe biden. It might not be fell to the degreeish, ed but things have moved in the right direction. Those disparities are just some byproduct. They are baked in. Re i wonder what you think from your estimation, policy wise, or other, what is owed to Black America . I think it is truth, reconciliation, and transformation. That is why i have been deeply troubled by a lot of what has emerged from some of the extreme right wing forces in this country that want to erase black history. In doing so, you are a racing american history. Black history is american history. The notion that some would suggest, or wanted teach our children that slavery was a job training program, which personally benefited African Americans is outrageous. The view of many of us, myself included, designed to undermine the ability to make progress in areas that connect to basic american values. Diversity is in american value. Equity is an american value. Inclusion isnt american value. Opportunity in every single zip code for African American men and everybody is an american value. When we are talking to black men in terms of the messaging and messenger, which comes from the left, or that comes from the west. We have the manager, we have somebody that we can identify with. I think that there is an element of how the message itself hes being crafted which doesnt resonate or planned. Where is the appeal specifically for our vote . I think that it is going to be important for us to articulate a clear vision for how we take People Living under certain conditions with too many challenges, and allow African American men, just like Everybody Else should be entitled to living the american dream. That is not too much to ask. We have also done some things t legislatively, including in the context ngof criminal Justice Reform. We just celebrated the fifth anniversary of the passage of the first step act. It was fithe most significant criminal Justice Reform legislative effort in the last 25 years to be given to reverse. The consequences of mass incarceration, which disproportionately fell on black men. What is interesting is that since the passage of the first step back, which relates to criminal Justice Reform of the federal levels, specifically with jurisdiction. Approximately 30,000 people have been released from a federal prison system. 90 of those individuals were blackmon. I think the one person getting a lot of credit for that is donald trump. This was a Democratic Initiative that hadnt been there for years. We did have republican partners, i give republican dog collins the credit. We did successfully convince donald trump to sign it into law. That is part of his record. Hes done 100 other things to undermine economic security, the right to vote. Donald trump has done a lot to facilitate the rise of White Supremacy in the United States of america. Who do we think that is going to bear the brunt of that rise in racism and White Supremacy, and the targeting of communities of color . Probably African American men that would be at the forefront of bearing the brunt. I do think that it is also important to note that the trump forces intentionally tried to manipulate perceptions for one reason, and one reason alone. He primarily cares about himself. I had the most important question of the entire interview. I spoke with someone you might have grown up with in your house. The brother said that you hate slow jams so much that your wife had a strong arm you to be your first dance. Why do you hate slow dams so much . D finally, biggie, jayz, or nas . You have to get that last one right. Why do you hate slowed him so much . You have to go home. Im partial to hiphop and r b. I think this is probably the reality that before i was in congress, while im in congress, subsequent to congress, there are a lot of stressors in life. When i have the opportunity to lean into music, lean into movies, lean into sports, i dont want to be depressed. And biggie, jayz, or nas . I will ride with biggie as the first amongst equals. Jayz is an incredible artist, just on the music alone, and was so proud of him, what he has accomplished, his brilliance, and his entrepreneurship. Nas, even though hes from queens, we rock with him. Bill maddox, still brilliant. Up next, headed to chicago to talk about what it means to be come a strong black man. More black men in america, the road to 2024 after a quick break. Quick break. Do you know what i think about a lot . I think about how much we dissociate the ability to throw hands with being a man. Have you ever heard a woman say that my guy better be able to fight . What if you cant fight . I know that coming up, being able to throw hands, being able to fight got you out of situations. But also for, me and obviously i dont condone fighting. I think there should be less fighting in the world. I know that i could be sensitive, do we never write want to, because come see me. What does it mean to be a Young Black Man in america . To be a son, a brother, a fly theyre . What does it mean to have all eyes on you, to be a scapegoat, a bogeyman, a public enemy . What does it mean to fight your way to something bigger than yourself . To be your Brothers Keeper . We went to chicago to find out. I met james atoms, julian robinson, and they are all twentysomethings, fathers, partners, mentors. The bonded as teenagers when they had the amazing opportunity to be mentored by a role model that looked just like them. He also just happened to be the most powerful man in the world. They were part of becoming a man, or ban. President Barack Obamas signature outrage effort, and aimed at young man of which he launched in 2014 after the killing of trayvon martin. If i had a son, he would look like trey vote. We talk about becoming a, man and what that really means. Describe a key positive expression. Basically instead of lashing out, you can go and work out. You can do Something Like that. Talk to guys. Hit a punching bag instead of somebody. Put that negative Self Destructing Type of anger into something positive, something that you can benefit from. Normally, what is the cause of the anger . That is another way of knowing positive anger expressions. Not only can you do things, you can talk things out. Im big on communication. Does it feel that the world sometimes neglects us as blackmon a specially . Young black man . Or pathologize, us puts us in the certain corner . Does it feel like the world kind of pushes it to the side . All, definitely. Theres no margin for error for a black man. Actually being a big black men with locks, no matter how big my smile is, there are already feeling away. The way you physically through move through the world Police Officers pulling us over daily. Its something that i tell my students. You have to keep yourself above the game. Just being where youre supposed to be these days doesnt work for us. You have to be above the game. You have to be a step ahead. You have to be a, where you have to be paying attention, you have to be accountable for your actions. Certain things you just cannot do as a black man. Like what . Driving around with multiple people in the car. How tired and you are young brothers. How tired are yall about being having to maneuver, dance, route smile araujos rules . Is it tiring . Its firing tiring. Its very tiring. Its very tiring. Sometimes you cant take a road home from work. Does it feel like politicians are paying attention to black young men especially . No. He didnt even hesitate. He said no. Est showboating, is just a face. I dont think the politicians of chicago are doing whats best, i think theyre doing whats best for them to make that dollar. How much is our responsibility . Are we slacking in that responsibility to start saving our families . We all are. We all could do more. Never too much. It all starts with catching these young men earlier in their childhood. Now we are losing children at a younger age. When you think of bam, and my Brothers Keeper, what does it mean to be your Brothers Keeper . Clearly there is a brother adhere. What is a mean to be your Brothers Keeper . Just showing that to your fellow, man youre next brother. Just having somebody that you can go to and let out a little bit, event to. Men, we are taught to bottle up our emotions, and that kind of creates a downfall for a lot of men. It creates stress. Every day we are growing. We are getting better, trying to learn. One thing that we need to learn is dealing with emotions. Everything that we deal with day today, being a man of color, black man. A brown boy. Being able to talk to my brother and let him know that i am here for you. This idea about counter billety, about emotional openness with each other, thats what it sounds like. It seems like youre carrying that into your personal relationships now. Accountability is one of the biggest things. Ive got a brother right now, multiple brothers. About one particular brother that gets army if he smells them slacking. Being a teacher, im telling my students how to be accountable. My students have to come in, blazer, ty, buttoned up shirt, belt, dress shoes. He was telling me yesterday how i left my shoes on. Theres consequences for that. Youre not in uniform. I told him daily, consequences outside of school, this mans actually cutting this. Like this womans actually cutting this like. Once you leave here, the black boy that you are, the police arent going to cut you slack. Up next, we are talking to the one and only. The acclaimed rap artist jeezy, i told my team, you know what . I dont really trust politics. I dont. Everybody that i sat down with, they made all of these broken promises. Not just to, me but to our people. Theyve done nothing. When it strikes and prevent migraine attacks. Treat and prevent, all in one. Dont take if allergic to nurtec. Allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. Most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. Relief is possible. Talk to a doctor about nurtec odt. Im daniel lurie relief is possible. And ive spent my career fighting poverty, helping people right here in san francisco. Im also a father raising two kids in the city. Deeply concerned that city hall is allowing crime and lawlessness to spread. Now we can do something about it by voting yes on prop e. A common sense solution that ensures we use Community Safety cameras to catch Repeat Offenders and hold them accountable. Vote yes on e. Youre probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. But what if we told you its possible that comcast Business Mobile can save you up to 75 a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers . Did we peak your interest . You can get two unlimited lines for just 30 each a month. There are no Term Contracts or line activation fees. And you can bring your own device. Oh, and all on the most reliable 5g Mobile Network nationwide. Wireless that works for you. Its not just possible, its happening. You know, music, such an important part of our identity and culture specifically, hip hop. I would say hiphop, art, they are all reflections of our culture and how we experience america. They help to tell our story. They hope to use our language, capture whether it is that so many want to say about what they are experiencing. They cant put it into words. Thats right. Lets go. Music has long been a way that blackmon has found our voice. And we use it to paint the world, just as we see it. John was like sole, the blues, jazz, our envy, and wrap. All giving hope to our aspects, passions, and even pain. For many of us, music, hip hop in particular, its life. We knew that we wanted to sit down with an artist who uses the heartbeat of the streets and the pulse of the people to give us a sense of how the broader Hiphop Community is watching the race for the white house. Black recording artist jeezy is a proud scent of atlanta, through and through. My president is black, back when obama was running for office in 2008. Jermaine and i took a trip down to the a to track him down and see what he had to say. More people in highprofile positions than the rappers. The rapids are saying that i dont know about these politics . Why do you think that folks disengage . What is it about this particular moment where people are not as locked in . They are not seeing the action. You know what im saying . Its about going to church. Feel free to talk to you every time you go, there you can go to church. They appreciate you talking to them while theyre there. The action, the gestures of, it the audio doesnt match the video. It makes anybody discouraged, because at least you have to tell me what is your playing to do. Even if you dont know. You tell, meet praise the lord, hallelujah, all of these things. But talk to me. You know what im saying . If a candidate comes to talk to you. This is jeezy, youre trying to reach this demographic. We really have to get our message, out we need your help. What are you looking for from them . Its hard to say. Im going to vote for a mare that i think is going to understand the city. That is closer to me. I have seen the work that he or she has done, right . Thats in my ecosystem. When you Start Talking about outside of that. Its more disconnected. What are you going to do for us . I could be totally wrong, im just telling you the crazy thing that i told my team, i said you know what . I dont really trust politics. I dont. Everybody that ive sat down with, we made all of these broken promises. Not just me, but to our people. Theyve done nothing. They use our influence. They use our mobilizing of people, they use this when they need. They come to the city, they want to sit down, what do we need to do. Were using all of these ideas. Ive been invited to the white house, all of these things several times. I have to sit there and think about it with my integrity. I have to do in. You talk about identity, i wonder how many black men urged lining up behind trump. Obviously, barack obama was the first u. S. President to be black. Hey donald trump is in abyss away from that. What do you think that is . Im glad i only took a sip of this drink. This is the only thing im going to say. I dont know trump personally, i dont know anything about him. The only thing that ive heard people say in a conversation when it comes to hiisthat he at least you know what his agenda is, because he tells you. Thats what it is. The devil you know is benefiting the when you dont. I never voted for him, but at the same, time of her conversations. So hiphop has always had this very important space as the mouthpiece ever the culture, the junction of opportunity and politics. I dont necessarily know that we have had another contemporary message as powerful as a president s black. Its strong. Its super straightforward. Before you get there, what is your first introduction to any sort of political consciousness . My first introduction was to putt. He would say the certain things about politicians, he showed me that he was a revolutionary in that hes done for something. When we come from, that nobody stands for that. When i see a lot of what barack was doing, lets take the politics out of that. Where sos blackmon, a black woman, two beautiful kids, and theyre trying to contribute to the world. For me, that meant more to anything because they look like a unit. It looked strong. I was more into that part. I believed that he was really going to do the job, that he would put his best foot forward. He had them by him every step of the way. So i recorded a record four months before he won. Again, i wanted to do my part. All of the things that we wanted to do in the community to help with that. Busing people to the polls, i voted for the first time. I went out there tonight people know and that neighborhood, even if youre a convicted felon, you can still vote. He was bigger than us, bigger than music. It is about us. Did you ever hear from barack about it . Really quick, so the Obama Administration advised me to correspond with his desk in new york. I got my whole crouton for suits, its going to be my guy. I got, theyre seo prigozhin, theyre that one going there, this one going there. My security gets out and the city service meets him at the door. He cant come in. Im, like im devastated. First of, all im embarrassed, and im devastated. I go back to the hotel, unlike, man, no matter how much good you do, its just like you are still and that was an issue too, because i had to realize that my past isnt like the average rappers past. I was part of things that were major, and it was probably a conflict of interest. I was mad. You know what im saying . I was hurt. I would never forget that maybe about a year later, a year and a half, two years later, my mom called me and said, baby, did you hear the president shouted you out . In my first term i said in my second term, im going with young jeezy you. [laughter] it is my emotions when i couldnt get it. Yes. Right . But to me, the nod meant way much more. That means that i see you, even from when youre there. Sometimes i tell, you have to meet people where youre at. Respect to see, you and respect you. There you go. Reporter my brother, my brother. Whats good . Good to see, you man. Its been a while. Weve been doing a lot of work. Shaking and baking. Yes, sir. Think about this. Brooklyn, new york, d. C. , atlanta, chicago, a rare window into the minds and thoughts of black men on politics and life. There is no way to cover all of these topics. What stands out to you in terms of what we did not get a chance to put in this special . There are so many different aspects of black manhood and how they show up, particularly in the political conversation. We didnt really get a chance to explore any of those issues facing our black queer brothers. We did not get a chance to explore issues regarding to how we, as blackmon, are reacting to these purported race wars. The Working Class Blackmon and how they show up. All of these are things that for me, they are going to have an impact on the election that we have not even scratched the surface with just yet. The one thing that i think has resonated the most with me is how disconnected so many brothers feel from this system and process. Even though brothers might be neglected and overlooked politically, they are there for each other. They are my Brothers Keeper, making sure that nothing else i think for me. The thing that resonates most is that the idea that, hey, we can disagree without being disagreed with. That was one of the things that was so important. Oftentimes, the image of black men in america is one where we either have to be and completely lockstep with each other, or oftentimes, at odds. This was a conversation that shows that we dont always have to agree. It has nothing to do with the fact that i still see you as my brother. That was super important. All black travels have been to me emphasized in brotherhood. No matter what is happening now, we know that our steps moving forward will be stronger together. To that, my brother, cheers to you. To brotherhood, what is next . Indeed