Common on His Trump-Supporting Friend Kanye West: ‘We Can Definitely Disagree on Politics’
The results of the 2016 presidential election had a forceful impact on most of the nation, with many celebrities standing up to express their disappointment in the choice of President-elect Donald Trump, whose track record includes a history of disparaging comments toward minorities and women.
Rapper, actor, and film producer Common sat down with Yahoo News and Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga recently to offer up some of his own ideas about what a Trump presidency means to him as a black American, as well.
“I was honesty really discouraged and disappointed and hurt for a while,” Common said of Trump’s election. “But I’m a believer in God and a believer in us, as people — whether you voted for Donald Trump or didn’t vote for him — we still have to work together and empower ourselves to do the things we need to do … as citizens of humanity. Spread love. Support each other. You can disagree and still keep moving forward.”
This sentiment includes Common’s fellow artist and good friend Kanye West, who infamously pledged support for Trump at a San Jose show in November.
“We can definitely disagree on politics, because I didn’t vote for Trump,” Common noted calmly, adding that he doesn’t necessarily condemn West for meeting with Trump earlier this month, especially if West was — as he claimed — talking to the President-elect in order to discuss concerns in his hometown of Chicago.
“Whenever we get to sit down, I would love to hear what his intentions were,” Common, who is also from Chicago, said. “We have a lot of issues going on in Chicago, so if Kanye went for that reason, he’s my man.”
Common’s rational message of coming together for the greater good isn’t just reflected in his talk — he chooses to be involved with projects that he feels progress understanding. He wrote a new track, “A Letter to the Free,” for director Ava DuVernay’s provocative documentary 13th, which tackles racial division in America. “When she told the story, I just said I had to be a part of this,” he said. “The film is significant in moving society forward. Ava has a real knack for creating material that starts conversations … she brings a humanity to everything she does.”
Common also discussed the power of universal appeal in regards to the smash Broadway hit Hamilton, to which he contributed a track to its equally successful mixtape. “It’s progressive and fresh,” he raved, noting the importance of the production as a vehicle to introduce hip-hop to a brand-new audience that may never have considered listening to the genre before.
Watch Common’s full interview with Golodryga:
