Rapper Lil B: I Switched from Hillary to Bernie Because He Supports Free Education
RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
BALDWIN: “In being yourself and in being honest, you have now made national news by declaring your support for Bernie Sanders and pulling away from Hillary Clinton. Why did you switch?”
MCCARTNEY: “Well, you know, the people that support lil B and support my music, they are so eccentric and have different viewpoints. When people bring things to my attention, I start to really pay attention because I know these people are special and have different viewpoints. A lot of people started talking to me about Bernie Sanders and they are like, hey, you need to pay attention to him and this is from all of the candidates, from Republican to democratic. And I started paying attention a little bit more and, you know, really seeing that Bernie was a part of fighting against segregation, that was something that really touched my heart and I appreciated because, most likely I don't think that was cool for him to do that back then but he still marched. As well as I heard he was for free education, which that makes me so happy because there's a lot of poor kids that might want to learn, that actually do want to learn and -- but just like health care, people are scared to go to the doctor because the bill will be so expensive. And I know for a fact that there is free education and that will lower black on black crime, you know what I mean, and crime in general.”
BALDWIN: “I hear you. All of these issues. So the people who love you so much are bringing these issues to your attention. Granted Hillary Clinton just did unveil a college education program that would be loan-free. I hear you on Bernie Sanders, especially when it comes to his involvement in the civil rights movement. Here's my next question. Why do you think the black lives matter movement continues to interrupt her at events? Also, important to mention, though, his -- Bernie Sanders' national press secretary is a black criminal justice advocate and is a supporter of the black lives movement.”
MCCARTNEY: “Well, I think Bernie handled the Black Lives Matter demonstration, I think he handled it very classy. He didn't leave the stage. He let them speak. He was on stage with these ladies that felt the urgency to really speak and, you know, there's a lot of issues in the African-American community, the black community, whatever you identify with. And they need to be spoken about. A lot of people suppress these things. I am a victim of suppressing these things. I tend to turn the cheek on black violence because I've been -- it's been normalized to me. You see a black person get killed and you're like, oh. And I feel horrible about that. So I commend the people that are taking a stance and fighting. There's times where I actually do feel horrible and I do want to take a stance. It's just that I've been so desensitized and it's a frustrating position to be in. My mom calls me a Republican sometimes and I'm like, I don't know about that.”
BALDWIN: “Let me stay on that. It's important that you bring that up. And I think it's also, you know, noteworthy that a lot of these different candidates on both sides, the Democrats and Republicans are getting asked this question about the black lives movement, about race, about police brutality, a number of stories we've been covering for the best part of the last year. When you listen to these candidates, how do you judge which candidate gives the best answer for you on that?
MCCARTNEY: “Just really seeing which candidate goes -- who are they with the people, you know, just trying to see and with the people I mean the youth, the African-American people, the people that they call immigrants. Or minorities. And that is where it hurts my feelings because I consider myself American but when I have to fill out a job application, I have to either pick African-American or black or something like that. Which all ends up being statics and it's confusing. But -- so when I judge these candidates, I really just try to look at their authenticity because we're all judging and it's sad that we do that and we categorize.”
BALDWIN: “We do. We judge.”
MCCARTNEY: “Yeah. I'm a victim of it because I judged Hillary Clinton. You know what I mean? And I'm not against Hillary Clinton. I support the Clinton legacy. Bill Clinton, I support him so much that I love Hillary on top. But –“
BALDWIN: “You know, can I ask you, since you brought up Hillary Clinton, to use your word, is she cursed?
MCCARTNEY: “Right. Can you repeat that, please?”
BALDWIN: “To use your word, is Hillary Clinton, now that you're not supporting her, is she cursed?
MCCARTNEY: “Hillary Clinton is not cursed.
BALDWIN: “There you.”
