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Exclusive: NYC Mayoral Candidate Michael Blake Talks Politics, Hip-Hop & Changing the Game!
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Mar 18, 2025
Michael Blake, Bronx native and former Obama White House aide, sits down with AllHipHop’s Chuck Creekmur @ChuckCreekmur discuss his mayoral campaign, his vision for New York City, and his thoughts on national politics. Blake keeps it real on Eric Adams, Trump, voting, and why young people need to stay engaged. Plus, he shares his love for hip-hop, his favorite MCs, and how music and politics intersect. Don’t miss this powerful and insightful conversation! Subscribe to AllHipHop on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/allhiphoptv?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Watch now and drop a comment. 🔔 Subscribe for more exclusive interviews and Hip-Hop culture news! #MichaelBlake #NYC #AllHipHop #Politics #HipHop Check out more of AHH here on social media: https://allhiphop.com https://twitter.com/allhiphopcom https://facebook.com/allhiphopcom https://instagram.com/allhiphopcom Executive Producers: “Grouchy” Greg Watkins and Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur AllHipHop.com, a powerhouse in the Hip-Hop world, was established and brought to life in 1998 by the visionary CEOs "Grouchy" Greg Watkins and Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur. Over the years, AllHipHop has solidified its position as an invaluable hub for all things Hip-Hop on the web. With its daily dose of news, exclusive interviews, in-depth reviews, multimedia content, a newly-minted expanding community, and a treasure trove of other engaging material, it has garnered immense praise and a dedicated following. Renowned publications consistently turn to AllHipHop for their news and feature references, attesting to the site's unparalleled accuracy and trustworthiness. Additionally, AllHipHop has fostered strong partnerships with numerous offline print magazines, newspapers, television networks, and radio stations, further cementing its influence and reach in the world of #HipHop.
View Video Transcript
0:08
yo what's going on all hip hop Michael Blake candidate for mayor candidate DNC Vice chair just much love all day every
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day we understand your block won't block your blessing your ZIP code won't deny your destiny so as long as we rock with
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hip hop we always going to be all good all day every day let's go what's going on world it's your man Chuck creeker AKA
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jigsaw and I'm here with my man Michael Blake he is running for mayor of New
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York City had to have him this is a big place it's a big
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business and let me just say this give you some context okay you know when I was on my own I don't know what I was
0:44
doing right but I was in the White House on a um Community let's say it's a community Mission because I I do work
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for the people I feel like but at that particular time uh Obama was in office
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and we had a space to come in and meet not directly with Obama but people and
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yourself you were one of them um so I
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just want to give people context so that they understand that I've known you for for for a while now and uh I know you're
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a good person and that's and that's partly why we're sitting here now I can vouch for you I appreciate that I was
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wondering where you were going well you said you was on a community mission in the white house I was like I didn't know where we were about to go right there
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but I appreciate that well you know at that point in time you know you know it was important for us to show
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up activists or people that are working in the community and I respectfully say
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that you know that Administration opened its arms gave gave
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us a hug gave us access showed us love and um and I had never witnessed that
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and I still have not witnessed that since then I can say that honestly so
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let's talk about you a little bit give people some some background on you and
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who you are um some people know and others don't yeah first and foremost I
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just much love all day every day to you it's been a blessing and we already know we we part of the greatest fraternity
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that's right you know we got to got to remind people out here all day every day about out file for look I'm I'm born and
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raised Bronx New York okay you know uh creson in Burnside that's home for me
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and ps79 118 dwood Clinton High School have had the opportunity to be
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able to do a lot of things I'm you know was that kid from the South Bronx where family's from Jamaica Mama 40 years
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worked manufacturing plant raised four boys you know Daddy got rest of Soul was a Jan at St Barnabas Hospital 1199
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sciu and I always had a love for politics yeah moms told me that I was named after Michael Alexander you know
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so Michael Manley alexanda bustaman so I was named up Jamaican politicians okay on Christmas night so I was going to be
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a preacher a journalist or I I became all three right right you know tree jobs right three jobs out here right now and
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and the reality is like you I I I left here went to Northwestern and just had a
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love for this yeah and was very fortunate I was able to become part of a training program that then Senator Obama
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was training black and brown kids there was 10 of us in the program on how to run campaigns did the program for a week
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they sent me out to Michigan rest was history for me I was able to work in the State House out there worked on his
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campaign worked for him 6 and 1/2 years had the blessing being in the white house as we were just talking about ran
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all the African-American minority business Outreach and I came back home yeah right I wanted to be able to show
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young cats on the Block especially like you could grow up on Crescent and Burnside and go work at a White House yeah right I was in the assembly for six
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years you know so the My Brothers Keeper program here in New York state that's that's our bill for these black and brown young men diversity and medical
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scholarships because we need more black and brown folk and friendly any of our communities to be
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doctors and nurses and part of the medical industry yes we were able to change the game in a real way the prompt
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pay bill so that if you work with New York State you get contract with less than 300 employees you get paid in 15
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days instead of 30 days and so we've done the work you know we continue to do the work and we're
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doing that on DNC in the National level but I'm doing this now because we we pay too much we get too little back and we
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deserve more right and I'm just on some our people deserve the best right and we
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can can provide that Vision that when New York City is Led correctly and New York City has a vision that is inspiring
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and real where you can make money and make impact where your public schools and Public Safety can both work that you
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can have people and say you know what we can't change the game for the better and that's why I decided to run for mayor yeah my first thought about you was man
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he's he's he's too good to be a mayor he's too nice he's too clean he's
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like you know supposed to be that means that means we got to set a new tone right that's what it's supposed to be yeah okay what are your thoughts on the
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current mayor Mr Eric Adams if you're able to articulate that like I I think
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that the the mayor has his own challenges that he has to work
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through and it's important for people to understand that I'm running because we're not doing
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enough on cost of living affordability Public Services Eric canceled on New Yorkers on
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ML day to go be at Trump's inauguration he's fighting for a part
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I'm fighting for the people right right and and it's important for people to understand that
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these are not some frivolous things being talked about yeah his indictments are that they alleged that money came
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from Turkey for a straw donation campaign scheme so that Eric and his
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team and his campaign could get matching funds now for folks that don't understand that if you're not paying attention donations $10 $250 gets
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matched by the city when you're running Citywide uh8 to one but they have to me
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New York City residents so the allegation is that they knowingly took donations from people who should not have made those donations so that he
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could get the matching funds four years ago and so if someone's lying to you about how
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they brought in their money and then they're then cancelling on you because they want to go Kiss the Ring then you
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should show them the door yeah fair enough fair enough what would New York City be like if you wi well what do you
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hope what do you envision New York City looking like being like live you know to
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live here yeah we we deserve to realize the best so that means that young kids
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can go to school and I believe that when you graduate you should have Civics mental health and financial literacy
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before you graduate I believe that you can show people that you can end poverty and and
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homelessness in New York City that we have all this unused commercial space right now and there's no good reason why
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we are not making it better to get people off the street but in order to do that that means our nonprofits have to
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be supported right so we have to address nonprofit reimbursement rates uh so that people get paid faster I would never say
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to you you know what Chuck I'll pay you in six months you just figure it out actually like no I want this every two weeks I've done the work right in the
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same way in that regard we need to have Universal child care in the city uh because you change the game when someone
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is able to know that their their children are safe and they don't have to worry about that expense over their heads it is a city where you can have an
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opportunity to say that you can do financially well and still live here it
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is simply not affordable people are out here working multiple jobs and they don't know how they can make ends meet
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yeah that's not the city we're supposed to be and so this will be a city where you can realize your dreams yeah and
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that's the epitome of what we're trying to do here in New York and our entire Vision you know Blake from
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nyc.com lays that out that it could be our home our city our dreams but a place
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where you can really change the game and then lastly what makes me uniquely different we're watching it in real time
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you know we you're watching a a federal Administration in Trump that is taking attacks against the people you know when
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they're saying what he just did an executive order to cancel a lowering prescription drug costs so that means
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when you go to the pharmacy your cost have not going up when we talk about what he's doing around ending Dei so
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okay black and brown businesses okay you're not going to get the same support you were just two days ago three days ago four days ago you know the ending of
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Birthright citizenship for a kid who was born here even if their parent was on a Visa so you're essentially saying the
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people that are children of immigrants you should be afraid that's not what we're supposed to be and so the main
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thing equally is when you wake up January 1st 2026 that you have a mayor
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who can manage the city where your dreams have been realized yeah absolutely can you you
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know uh talk about where we are as a
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country under Trump now you just mentioned several things but that's you
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know more relative to New York City how do you feel about that because you know I've had conversations with people some
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people are like uh you know we gota you know just you you good y'all go ahead
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yeah yeah we're we're good yeah we're not we're not even messing with y'all anymore you get what you deserve others
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are like we need to participate we need to jump in we or we need to ex you know
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extend an olive branch to Trump or Maga or whatever what what's your position on
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that yeah I don't know how you extend an olive branch to an insurrectionist I'm not really sure how that works right
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there right someone wanted to burn your Capital down I'm not really sure how how
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what's the meeting point there right right look at this point we just got to
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be very clear about who this man continues to show us who he is he had
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three of the wealthiest people in the world sitting next to his crew at the
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inauguration he took a step immediately to make it more expensive for you to prescription drug cost addressed but for
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wealthy billionaires to make more money right so when we think about like what's the environment that we're in we're in a
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space right now where we legitimately have to be concerned that
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your cost of living has not been addressed but what has been addressed is making billionaires more money
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right that you have to wonder well what happens around black history you have to wonder do I actually
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have a chance to have an affordable home you have to wonder what happens to the the communities uh that have been hurt
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uh our immigrant communities those that are just trying to figure out make ends meet none of them being helped right now
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so for me again I just go back to it I'm a
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crested and Burnside kid yeah right and our community was made better
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because we had you know black and brown and white all rocking with each other
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you know we had South Asians and Jamaicans figure out who could do the best Curry right you know we recognized
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the Latino communism was not monolithic we understood we could listen to music and play ball people they that's how we
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got down right now folks are just going back to their homes cuz they feel afraid M yeah and they're figuring out well I'm
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spending eight n10 on some gallon of milk but y'all not talking to me yeah
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and so to your question around the Trump environment Donald Trump has not shown
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you ever that he gives a damn about the work in person
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and so now our job has to be for those of us that want to help the people that
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we get policies implemented and we elect the right folks so we can change the game okay how do you wrap how do you
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work through those of us that don't feel as if the system works for them so I
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mean you could take this election for as a good example the presidential election
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and some local as well that you know I I hit the streets myself
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to encourage people to vote I I participated in uh different activations including concerts and things that and
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uh now those concerts were modestly attended and um others sparsely attended
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but at the end of the day you're having these conversations with people now it
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depends on who you're talking to but I did notice that a lot of young people see less enthusiastic about voting the
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urgency wasn't necessarily resonating with um the ones that I spoke to which
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were some you know some of which were in the city in the inner city look a lot of the young cats right now don't believe
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that this works for them and and so that's why the first piece has to be around Civics right and saying that you
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know government is working for you all the time from the moment you're born to the moment you get called on home everything in your life is impacted by
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policy yeah right and so yeah you can say to me I don't like what the system
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is doing I respect that I honor that but then let's have the conversation of of okay what do we do to make it better
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then yeah walking away is not the option that's not the alternative right you know you got to get in the game you know
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I I still am not seeing someone hit a winning game-winning shot from the bench still waiting to see that happen
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and so at the end of the day we have to show you why it matters right and that being involved in the process matters
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and so to do that that means then on the local level and the national level
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Gamers athletes entertainers influencers use the power for good so people can be
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aware of the differences in these policies so that then someone's like okay I cannot understand why this actually happened and how this actually
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happened so that when it's time to go vote you're not a stranger to them yeah and that's what we have to do we got to
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stop making candidates be strangers who only show up four weeks before an election as opposed to are you rocking with someone four months years before an
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election M okay now let's talk about the Democratic party um a little bit okay
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um I just I I'll be honest I recently had a a conversation and this individual
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made it seem as though the Democrats have done nothing or or rather I should
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say based on support from the African-American Community they have done relatively
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nothing just a little more than the the Republican party what do you say to that yeah that's flat
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wrong me we're watching again in real time where it it's the depth of the pain
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of what we have endured and still endure as Black Folk is real and so there is a sentiment sometimes that if you're not
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going all the way and doing more you haven't done something but that's just simply not the case right uh the reality
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is when you think about increases so that more black businesses and brown
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business got funding that they didn't get before you know what we're doing around education around pel grants and
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and HBCU uh what we're doing to make sure that crackers powder cocaine went from 100 to1 to 18 to one you know what was
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going on for black Farmers what were we doing around Healthcare all these pieces have in uh have clear effect on your
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life and the notion that somehow it's not doing more for you is just not true
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right Republicans have been masterful of getting you to believe that what is coming to you is better for you even
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when it's not uh and so the notion that you could have one entity that literally
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is ending Dei offices and people are having conversations of I'm not sure where the Democrats stand on black and
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brown causes I was like I'm going to tell you this we wouldn't cut Dei offices like it's not a hard conversation right there right and then
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making it practical that even if something doesn't say black or Latino does not mean it doesn't help black and Latino communities right and so that
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kind of education is necessary for us to have real conversation and then lastly let's stop treating communism as
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monolithic let's stop thinking if I talk talk about this one issue then that's going to work for everybody you know I
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don't want people to come to me and think I only care about criminal justice in the same way we should not only go to
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a Latino community and say immigration right it's all the things um and so if we do that correctly then people like
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okay I I can believe in this thing and and one of the reasons why I'm in this conversation around what can do on the
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DNC and changing it nationally is that we have to get people to believe that
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government works for them mhm why they should vote and then why should
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they vote for us right and if you do those three then you change the game
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then you have people finally feeling empowered and and and feeling heard in the process yeah do you think that um
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the May the the so Obama was the first black president yeah
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um I'm not sure we'll see another one do you obviously I I believe we will you do
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absolutely okay absolutely what makes you say that because well one the numbers I mean the country is becoming
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black more and more brown right and two we have this incredible Talent around
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the country that it's hard for me to believe that we won't Ascend you know look is I'm disappointed absolutely of
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course I wanted vice president to be president right but am I going to believe that our country is not going to
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elect someone black moving forward no I I I I I refuse to allow those that have
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that mindset to win okay I feel you do
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this this thing here feels um when I say this thing this new Administration feels
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that feels it feels different than anything we've ever encountered so and
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when I say that I mean you see the technocrats around him you see Mark
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Zuckerberg remove the protections against RAC racist misinformation even just flat out
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fact checking checking um you see Tik Tock put up
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propaganda before he's even in office and we realize and then you see him at
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the inauguration yes um you see Jeff Bezos
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give Millennia Trump 40 million for a documentary which we know is just
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washing money right uh allegedly I got I
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got you I got you allegedly um but if feels very very different than anything I've ever seen so I'm and and not only
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that it feels generational right it does not feel like oh yeah in four years all right you we'll just elect someone else
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ride this out it feels like these are you know and then and don't even get me started on the Supreme Court and things
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of that sort look we're in a Zone and and Chuck this is why you are essential right
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hip-hop Sports entertain it entertainers and entertainment are going
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to be what opens the door for people to be willing to
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listen it's then going to be Gamers that are going to sustain the conversation because what's happening in those
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chats and then it's going to be those validators that people will believe in this again yeah right
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and like I understand I'm I'm a full believer in this I you know I'm out here I'm walking around it's brick outside
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and still got on threepiece right I really believe in this I really
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believe that when you do this correctly you could change the game right you know I I really do believe that we can have
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great public schools and great trains and great public health and great public housing I do believe that yeah
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fundamentally I do believe that yes I am qualified and I am black right um I do
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believe that a sister can win and that doesn't mean I've lost mhm and I just
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think at the end of the day for those of us who have had a chance to make it whatever that's
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supposed to mean we have a responsibility now to show people like
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yo this the this matters yeah like this this it really does matter that the conversation around Supreme Court people
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just like I can't even I can't even grasp that that feel so far away I understand I understand but that doesn't
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mean you shouldn't be involved right like we used to have Schoolhouse Rock back in the day yeah right and at the end of the day like okay you know what
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what is this thing what why does the city council matter to me why does Mayor matter to me why does State House matter
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to me and and every single day that you show someone why it matters it changes
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things yeah you know you know I was talking recently uh Brook she said to me she was
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like well uh make it clear to someone when you're talking about someone being skilled at one thing and doing something
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else right and it's like you know uh would I ask for the doctor to be the
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one that leads my exam in this classroom probably not right fact would I ask the
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mechanic to be the person to lead the interview probably not right but we're
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asking people to do things that are not in their jobs right we're asking cops to address Mental Health crisis they
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weren't trained to do that mhm right we have 98 hotlines that's what let the trained ones do that right right you
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know where asking people about well why should you care about this politics thing well then have people that in politics talk to them right right and
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what we have happening right now is you got a lot of cats who don't know what they talking about yeah getting up here
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talking about well you shouldn't vote but that same person would be good if they made money on a tax break right
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right so I'm not understanding what we're doing right here so at the end of the day do we want to change the game
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for our people and if we're serious about that you can't see the power right
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politics gives us that power right what you know you mentioned something uh
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around not voting people but this is where some of the
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technology becomes problematic it's it's obviously a tool that we use how we
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decide but I've noticed in the last few years people I believe intentionally
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mislead people intentionally 100% Isen monetize yeah or or maybe quite frankly
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paid to do so I don't know I can't I can't confirm that I'm gonna tell you that is happening okay okay yeah yeah um
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and how do you flip that I'm asking questions because I don't actually know and as someone who does in fact deal
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with media and has for a long time I wrestle with it how do we you know there's a quote and I forget I think it
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might be n n do you out monster the monster or quietly become devoured
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and I'm like okay you know and I think about that in terms of politics too you
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know I think of it in that way as well because we see one monster and what
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what's what's going to face it's like Godzilla versus King Kong not comparing not compared it's always a
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good movie though yeah yeah it's a good movie yeah look I think that yeah but the techn technology part and and
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misinformation and and and and paid agents you know nothing new but what are
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you what are your thoughts well look you know vice president Elon Musk out here
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right who was paying to send Miss and disinformation out in places like Pennsylvania where black folk being sent
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information about wrong election days yeah right if they weren't afraid of us
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having power why would they give us missing disinformation right right and so at the end of the day
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we have a responsibility we do this now with our chyos democracy project uh we're doing this in our work around Democratic politics add a source to
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information and you see it right mhm so it's like okay well where did this come
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from give me a link give me something where I could find the actual fact on this yeah and then you go do your thing
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right right uh because what's happening right now is that people are like you know what I don't know if I actually believe what I'm seeing right and you're
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spending so much time getting someone to believe a fact not even an opinion
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believe a fact because one side has made it a point that they are getting an advantage
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by our confusion right U and so how do we address that again I think adding
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sources adding fact checks being the Willing ones to say even if you don't agree with my opinion here's how you can
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get more information to find out what's going on because at the end of the day I still love you my brother I still love you my sister I just want you to win
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right uh and I'm going to direct you to multiple Outlets I think a lot of times
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we're telling someone something and we're only giving them one option now here's what I'm going to do I'm going to use technology I want you to rock those
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WhatsApp groups and those group mes and those signal chains and telegram whatever else you got going and give
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people multiple pieces of ways to verify what they're learning about because then again you change the game yeah then
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someone's like okay I've seen in multiple places it's really hard if you see in multiple different places to be
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like okay it's just not true yeah right you might not still agree with me but it this me it's not true right and what the
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Republicans are doing are attacking black and brown men in particular with a lot of Miss and disinformation which we
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got to make sure that people understand those are different things right like am I trying to confuse you or am I giving
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you a flat out lie right right and when you see how they're using algorithm discrimination to their advantage when
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Trump would sit around and say that this bunch of black people were surrounding him for support and it was like actually no black people they were just using AI
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around that we in an environment now where we have to utilize technology for
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good right and if we do this correctly and well then people can actually be a
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part of the game right of politics working for you yeah and look I try to
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make it real practical right like someone's like you know what I don't get down with that technology I'm not doing all that like oh really oh really okay
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so you just went to the supermarket did you use your debit card yeah okay all right
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um you open up your phone did you use your face ID oh yeah okay all right um
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you went on an airplane and they were able to scan your face without you taking your idea did you yeah I did the
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so but you don't trust technology though right right again you actually do yeah
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you don't trust technology as it relates to politics and information because
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someone's telling you it's not true right and they're doing that because they believe you being empowered will
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hurt them right which is why I always go back to we have to get back to Civics yeah right because if if people actually
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saw how this could work then it would work well for all of us what about the city in technology um I know there's
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some WiFi there's you know other cities
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are very involved in technologically advanced do you have any plan in that regard absolutely look I'm I'm regularly
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saying tech tech for good we have like our constituent Services don't make any sense in the city how is it that you can
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track a a a a package being delivered to your crib or food showing up your
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doorstep but we can't tell you right now how problems are solved for you yeah
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which again if you give people the wins right then you could change some things yeah right and you make it real
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practical like oh okay now I see how this works for me right you know use tech for good find ways that you can
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utilize Gamers so that video game technology is not just for entertainment mment which is necessary and good
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because you have to have an outlet but you can teach young people about quality assurance job skills so that then they
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can relate it for other jobs that are out here you know how do you use text so that we could find better ways that I
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can understand what that parking spot is and what's that fer fee or where's that support service and how do I find help
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for myself right that's what people are trying to do yeah right you know we are in a society where someone truly can go
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week weeks months without tur on an actual TV mhm because their phone and
29:00
their tablet can do everything MH but we're not finding ways to then
29:06
directly connect to you in that same device right you have power in your hand but you are powerless because we're not
29:12
connecting you to the true power of government facts absolutely now let's
29:18
let's let's change switch gears just a little bit okay what uh what did you grow up listening to I mean a bunch of
29:25
things I mean look I mean we talking Hip Hop I mean what hipop what rappers
29:31
rappers or musicians in hip-hop did you listen to now look I got to say it's
29:37
going now folks going to get in their feelings right now right Rock him
29:42
still maybe the best Lyricist if you just listen to the lyrics right with just you know Vibes right obviously I'm
29:49
a bronx cat but what Nas did with elmatic was yeah CRA I mean crazy I mean
29:55
that was just like legendary you know right there that you might not ever get back at all uh and then you know look we
30:02
can obviously talk about Jay we talk about big we do all that but cats never
30:07
give Jada his du Jada Kiss H Jada if you just listen like his lyrical Brilliance
30:16
was something extreme yeah extreme yeah right and because he was with the locks people didn't really internalize it
30:22
fully but it's like yo this cat go off the Dome on something vicious
30:28
and so like you just had that Brilliance yeah really and I would tell like OB say
30:34
we can do this all day get on Bronx kid right like it's just like the level of actual consistent
30:42
creative Brilliance someone has to have to be a rapper it's not like singing like it's
30:48
not like any other art form at all like I I I I I'm I'm determining this story
30:54
in my mind yeah that I could just spit in these bars right with no paper yeah
31:00
to thousands millions over and over and over and over again over and over again
31:06
right 100 100% who were you who you rocking with who Me O well I'm I'm a
31:13
little more of a Coogi rap well let me let me let me let me just be clear rockim Coogi rap big daddy king and krs1
31:21
are like Mount Rushmore okay for for me and then as you go on you got your Nas
31:27
yeah you're Jay you're big uh and then it gets interesting then it
31:35
gets it gets very interesting some people want to put Pac on there and then yeah but then there's a lot of greatness
31:42
in the 1990s Jus wasn't fully formed by then but you got DMX and Big Pun you know
31:50
there's a lot of greatness that came out of the uh 90s you know um I mean x x
31:56
controlled the Summers like three years in a row I mean it was it was it wasn't even a fair fight not even not even
32:02
close not even a fair fight but but I will say this you know Stop Being Greedy still gets me hyped I'm just even think
32:08
right right still just even about and that's a political statement that was 100% 100% yeah that's a crazy political
32:15
statement but um but also you know shout out to all the conscious rappers too you know those artists helped form me
32:23
personally yeah you know because you take common or most I take uh more of a common guy and I'll tell you why I've
32:31
barely met most def respectfully I've barely met him I don't like kind of met
32:37
him but common I feel like has always been more accessible more of the people
32:42
more more uh aspirational even in taking that conscious torch and and carrying it
32:49
yeah um regardless of whether he was hot or cold some of his albums didn't do well but he kept rapping and now he's
32:55
Grammy nominated 100% yeah 100% so but most def is coming back um this year so
33:01
that'll that'll be very very very interesting yeah but I I I that's your
33:06
safe word I could tell you say interesting interesting is my safe word that's your safe word right there
33:13
interesting I wish you okay yeah but no but yeah hip-hop um what what what what
33:19
about the Arts in New York you know we I I worry about access to the Arts you
33:26
know I think that a lot of problems we have are partly due to the fact that
33:31
kids are not able to engage um in a positive way with their artistic sides
33:37
or having places to go yeah um what what are you thought what are your thoughts on that like at the end of the day you
33:43
got to let a mind run and a lot of times the thoughts and visuals of Mind are are being trapped inside U you know I think
33:51
about the Brilliance of Andre trainer Andre is a exceptional Bronx graffiti artist who
33:57
has done art across this city where nobody touches his building once He blesses it right so yeah okay I I I see
34:04
what's happening here uh arts in a different degree you go out to Brooklyn Academy Music like bam is an institution
34:10
yes right where you just understand you know my my spirit is going to be fed when I walk in this room right right uh
34:17
you know but it's also about how do we find more ways that are in all different degrees um the visual the spoken Stage
34:26
Dance uh all have to be empowered and again come in Full Circle if you if
34:33
you pay nonprofits faster which a lot of these theaters are and a lot of these visual art centers are and a lot of
34:39
these art clinics are more kids can have a chance yeah right yeah everyone should
34:45
have an ability to realize their creative Outlet yes a lot of times it's not happening because people just like H
34:52
I'm not sure yeah not sure you trying to keep the lights on it's hard for me to talk talk to you about painting your
34:59
dreams what got you in the what what what how did you become so enamored with politics was there a person or was there
35:07
something you saw growing up yeah mama told me that from the moment I was
35:14
engaged in any real way I was thinking about it I just kind of watched it yeah you I was I was that kid that we went on
35:20
the big church trip to DC and they had me in there in the at the capital yeah
35:27
right asking question really yeah and I'm going to just say they they knew
35:33
something early on again they they named me after Jamaican prime minister so they they they saw something yeah in their
35:39
spirit and it has been with me as long as I can remember I like I run my own businesses I've had multiple teams on on
35:45
our team I do a lot in sports a lot music but this is my life purpose this my life
35:52
purpose okay you mentioned journalists in there somehow what yeah that me my
35:58
actual degree is in broadcast journalism okay at Northwestern and so we Next Level Sports only black sports TV
36:03
network in the country you know nls.com we've been doing that work but storytelling is essential yeah you you
36:09
can't be a great politician great public servant if you're not a Storyteller Right facts facts facts um so back to uh
36:18
Obama a little bit how was it how was it uh working under him during his administration I
36:25
always yeah I'll leave it there put a dot at the end of that I felt like you want to say interesting again right there that's what it felt like was about
36:32
to come on right there it was an but that was an interesting time that was a I had to say it that was a but that was
36:39
a time it was a hopeful time yeah it was a you know we were in a recession so it
36:45
was um a a tough time too yeah you know but how was that experience for
36:54
you yeah how could something be more transformative than being a young black
36:59
kid from the South Bronx who works at a white house for a black man as president yeah right my my my every day was
37:08
walking into the most critical institution in the world and you look up around the walls
37:15
and it's a black man yeah right who he he taught us some things that always
37:20
stayed with me he he never liked President Obama never liked us giving him one option okay he always wanted us
37:28
to give him three options cuz he said there's always more than one option on something right uh we would always write
37:33
out different notes I remember one time we were Staffing him and I wrote out Antioch and I wrote out phonetically and
37:39
he looks at me he's like Blake he's like where did I represent I was like well you were a senator in Illinois he's like
37:44
you don't think I have Antioch Baptist Church on the South Side okay y absolutely sir absolutely right
37:51
um his mental capacity was incredible yeah right um
37:58
and and I do think look I think a lot of times we as Black
38:04
Folk and particular black men when you are confident in your abilities you get labeled as
38:10
arrogant arrogant is condescending and looking down someone and he is not that
38:15
most most of us are not that right right he's just an exceptionally Gifted Man
38:21
yeah that'ss right he just you know and just had it yeah and I and I I I was
38:28
saying this actually a few weeks ago think about how the man was the president of the Harvard Law
38:33
review and then became a community organizer like if that can't tell you how real the man is I don't know what
38:39
we're talking about right I told people that all the time like it's just like it's just he could have literally like I'm good I'm GNA go do my thing no he
38:46
wanted to help the people yeah want to help the people and it stays with me we brought him to the Bronx we'll
38:52
never forget he we asked him to come for the My Brothers Keeper Summit we launched the my brother keeper Alliance
38:58
at Leman college and I got him to throw up the X for the you know BX and it just filled my heart that
39:05
people were able to see like this this man sees you yeah and everything I'm
39:12
trying to do now is to show that we are the Next Generation that's ready to take the mantle yeah yeah okay Dr Martin
39:18
Luther King's birthday was just the other day yeah I just wanted to ask you you know he's um an alpha brother as
39:25
well um this is my sound like a weird question but did was he inspiring to you
39:30
of course yeah he he has a line that has stayed with me in the end we remember not the words
39:37
of our enemies but the Silence of our friends why does that resonate with you so because at the end of the day
39:45
leadership is lonely yeah leadership is lonely
39:50
and you remember who's there with you you remember who's there with you remember when you're like oh look I'm
39:56
trying to trying to realize some dreams right now yeah and people like yeah I'm not really sure like no I need Believers
40:03
yeah right I need folks who are like let's go figure this out I want you to be real with me I want you to ask real questions I want you to be thoughtful
40:10
but when your friends are silent on you it almost hurts more right yeah and so
40:16
at the end of the day king showed what could be done in 39
40:22
years yeah right and he consistently put put
40:28
himself second everybody else yeah and the end of his life is the Contin
40:34
continuity why we fight this fight he was fighting for economic Justice memph for sanitation workers
40:40
right and you can have both you can't have economic Justice and you can't have
40:47
social justice yeah and of course so it wasn't just the speeches
40:52
MH it was the Brilliance of the man yeah and he was able to talk to the common person as well as the
41:01
president which I which I found to be amazing and look and and and showed us bringing it all the way full circle
41:09
he regularly was in DC and pushing for changes and going to the White House and pushing for changes because they
41:15
understood he understood and and you know all those you know Ambassador Andrew Young and yes you know a young
41:21
John Lewis and Dr Dorothy Irene height that you had to change policies you want to change things at scale yeah it's
41:27
policy right and I just keep telling folks you can talk to me about all the other things you want to talk to me
41:33
about but if one person can change something for 300 million people in a second I I want to be in that room right
41:40
right how do you plan if at all I mean you have to at least consider working
41:46
with the other side how how you know how does that work for you you know the the Republicans but I I
41:53
like to distinguish Maga from the Republican party is that fair I know
42:01
some of them I mean magga has has effectively a lock step on the party
42:06
right there on the Republican party like if you are seriously trying to address
42:11
an issue right let's talk okay right you out here talking to me on
42:18
some I'm not funding a school to teaching black history then I I don't know what we're talking about right right you know uh and and I just think
42:26
again the inauguration and then the immediate actions afterwards are why I'm running
42:32
from mayor of New York City and why I'm one of the candidates for DNC Vice
42:37
chair all the things he could have done one of the things he did was to
42:43
make it more expensive for you to get prescription drugs as opposed to cost of living people are trying to figure out
42:49
how they pay their bills yeah so if someone comes to the table and says let me show you how we can
42:56
together mix things happen yeah let's have that conversation okay cuz our people deserve better absolutely would
43:03
you ever consider running for president yourself well let's let's let's get let's let's get let's get this win
43:08
consider let's get a win let's get a win let's focus on the Block yeah let's focus on the Block you know what what
43:14
God has for us can never be denied okay all right well I I would vote for you I'll just say that well let's let's
43:20
let's start okay let's get everybody everybody in New York City yeah and all the folks that you know in New York City
43:26
okay yeah facts fact let's make this happen we going to make it we're going to make it work you have a street team oh yeah and we're going to keep building
43:32
it okay all right we going to get we going to get the street team okay on
43:38
now this I'm putting you on the spot you know I'm letting y'all know right now yeah we we got you out here what go
43:45
ahead what you going to put me on the Spot bar man that congestion priceing killing everybody killing here we go here we go
43:53
yo it's time I'm put it on you it's time it's time for me to make moves let me let me tell you about congestion price
43:58
real quick let's so so this another one of those moments where the intent of
44:04
good policy was met with terrible Communications okay what's the first word of congestion
44:13
pricing congestion okay that's what they trying to fix yes and we having so much
44:19
conversation around yo I got to pay this $9 it's like
44:24
okay or sometimes you sitting in an hour of traffic for something should take you 10 minutes right right or you can't get
44:31
that parking spot mhm we've seen it work in other places
44:37
like London right they have congestion pricing in okay I didn't know that it's the first time here that we've had it
44:44
and at the end of the day well there's different places that are working on in different ways I just think the way it's
44:49
been implemented has been sloppy okay right okay and you know to a different
44:56
degree back in the day people could smoke in restaurants massive uproar folks like yo
45:03
we can't do this can't do this oh my God can't change can't change now it's what
45:09
it's what's happening yeah and it was it's healthier and it's better for everybody I think it needs to be done
45:16
differently yeah but let's not ignore the intent of it was to make sure we actually address the core problem gotta
45:21
okay well we'll think about this how differently looks like I feel you but it's still interesting
45:27
you back to your safe word again of interesting but uh yeah okay okay well
45:33
you know it's been a pleasure I you you can't make this your last time cuz you know you're I know you're just you're
45:39
ramping up you got you got to come back and and let us know what you're doing in the community absolutely so we can join
45:44
you there as well yeah and um you know share and and and amplify the vision you
45:52
have for New York I I appreciate that and look we just want to again we we pay too much we get back too little we
45:58
deserve more yeah we deserve better we deserve we deserve better than what's happening right now yeah
46:03
and if the people of New York City want to see a different
46:09
Vision that you can have cost of living affordability Public Services work for
46:15
you then you have a candidate in me Michael Blake that can do that okay all
46:20
right thank you very much oh appreciate you yeah you too all day very
46:25
interesting very interesting very interesting interesting interesting
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