Common Weighs In on Clinton-Trump Presidential Debate

Common shares his views on “The View.”

The legendary Chicago rapper hit the daytime talk show on Tuesday (Sept. 27) to speak about several hot topics, including last night’s first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

“Donald Trump is just not prepared to be a president,” said Common. “He’s not that type of person that should be a president. I thought Hillary Clinton — I could see her experience.”

The Oscar-winning MC had never watched a debate before last night, but it opened his eyes. “It revealed everything,” he explained. “It made me sad about America that we have people who really believe in what [Trump’s] saying ’cause what is he saying?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNzsRn6xlB4

Beyond his presidential picks, Common also opened up about his stance on Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback who’s been praised and criticized for taking a knee during the national anthem this season as a protest against police brutality cases around the country.

“I truly relate to what Colin Kaepernick is doing,” said Common. “He’s standing up for justice. He sees things going wrong with our country and we all see it. For people to ignore it, we’re not doing our duty as Americans, as children of God. The courage he’s showing is phenomenal.”

The topic is particularly moving for Common, who recently wrote about those same issues on his Stevie Wonder-assisted single “Black America Again.” Asked about the song’s inspiration, the Chicagoan pointed to history.

“This is a cycle that has repeated itself throughout history for black Americans, not just with police brutality, but from slavery to Jim Crow to mass incarceration,” he explained. “So my thought was… How do we write a new story now?”

“Black America Again” is the title track off Common’s upcoming album due later this year.