“What do you say to people who link crime and violence to rap music?” That’s the question Bill Maher posed to Killer Mike at the end of his show on Friday night, to which Killer Mike quickly responded: “After I say you’re stupid?” Mike then spent four minutes going in on the history of hip-hop and the roots of rap in the late 60s and early 70s. “It gave poor kids the opportunity to organize as an alternative to violence,” he says. “Every time you see a successful rapper you’re seeing a job creator in a community.” The whole clip is below—Killer Mike’s segment starts around 9:30.
In case you missed it last week, Killer Mike and El-P also just released a new Run the Jewels video for “Early”, created by Bug and Sluzzy and featuring vocals from Boots. The video offers a powerful take on police brutality and the prison industrial complex, juxtaposing images of police in riot gear and ineffective police surveillance with stark protest illustrations. It’s streaming below as well.
