This past weekend, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ hosted his first-ever REVOLT Summit in Atlanta, which proved to be a memorable event, to say the least.
For the last day of the summit, one panel in particular, “Trap the Vote: Hip Hop & Politics,” focused on inspiring people to use their voices during the 2020 election. Rappers and activists T.I. and Killer Mike, former spokesperson for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign Katrina Pierson, American conservative commentator Candace Owens, and Steven Pargett of Dream Defenders participated in the viral conversation.
Here are three things HipHopDX learned from the panel discussion.
It’s Difficult Defending The “Make America Great Again” Slogan
During the discussion, T.I. and Candace Owens argued over President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” and how it’s interpreted by the African American community. After Owens appeared to agree with the slogan, Tip asked Owens to name a time where the country was so great.
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“When you say ‘Make America Great Again,’ which period are we talking about?” T.I asked Owens. “The period when women couldn’t vote? The period when we were hanging from trees? Or the crack era? Which period in America are you trying to make America like again?”
He continued, “Which period was America great that we’re trying to replicate? Which era was it, tell me?”
Owens deflected from Tip’s question. “America was actually one of the first…slavery was all over the world.”
Killer Mike Served As A Voice Of Reason
Following Owens and T.I.’s heated moment, Killer Mike intervened with valuable advice. The 44-year-old rapper explained that it’s important to have a plan set in action. Moving forward, Mike wants everyone to focus on their own goals and agendas.
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“What y’all are seeing right now is free people arguing over what master to serve,” he said. “The more proper course of action is to start creating their own agenda and goals while targeting owning a stake in your industry.”
The Importance Of Preserving The Culture
Among the many valuable points that T.I. discussed, the 38-year-old emphasized the importance of preserving black culture. The Atlanta native stated that people need to become creators instead of asking for handouts. With the use of leverage and believing in oneself, T.I. believes that change will be brought about.
“Our leverage is our culture, our leverage is the power of our dollar and until we take control of that and redirect that to the places and the people that we need to redirect it towards, then we’ll always be in a position where we have our hand out and we’re asking a motherfucker to do something for us,” he said.
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Check out the entire video of the REVOLT Summit above and photos below.
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