You may have first been introduced to the Virginia Beach-based rapper Pusha T as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, catapulted into the mainstream thanks to the Neptunes-produced banger “Grindin’”. Nowadays, King Push is considered hip hop royalty. Since (No) Malice found religion, he’s become President of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music record label, taken part in strange musical collaborations we would have never expected, and most recently, has been on the campaign trail for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
This past week, Pusha T visited The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to explain why he’s gotten so political during this miserably discombobulated election cycle. Sitting beside Colbert’s first guest of the night, former Weeds actress Mary-Louise Parker, Pusha T explained why supports Clinton to the hilarious talkshow host. Pusha T has even teamed up with the Clinton campaign to give people who register to vote an opportunity to meet the rapper in person.
Not only is Pusha taking part in this initiative, he’s also been quite vocal about the political issues that matter to him. While talking with Colbert, he expressed that the most important issue to him is getting rights for felons who have served their time. “You can’t vote, you can’t get grants,” Pusha told Colbert. “It’s like you keep paying forever.” According to the rapper, he and Clinton have only met via Facetime, but he’s hoping to meet her in person during the upcoming election party she recently invited him to.
King Push went on to state his belief that Hillary Clinton will carry on the legacy of Barack Obama, who has done more for the prison population and the criminal justice system than perhaps any president in history. His belief that felons should be allowed to vote in the election is one that is spreading throughout the United States. For instance, the state of California recently voted in a new bill that would allow felons not currently in state or federal prison or on parole to vote, a measure that could bring up to 50,000 new votes into the state.
Colbert and Pusha T also joked about the hit Clipse song “Grindin’”, and how the beat almost ended up in Jay Z’s hands. The two also discussed Pusha’s major part in helping to write the rap version of the “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle famously used by McDonalds, and also talked with Mary-Louise Parker about her experience seeing Snoop Dogg at the Democratic National Convention afterparty.
