See Pusha T Talk Incarceration Rate, Ex-Felons’ Rights on ‘Colbert’
Rapper and unofficial Hillary Clinton surrogate Pusha T visited The Late Show Thursday to talk about the nation’s incarceration rates and expanding voting rights to ex-felons.
Pusha T, or “Push” as he told Stephen Colbert to call him, recently campaigned on behalf of Clinton in Florida with vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, a fellow Virginian.
The rapper told Colbert that the incarceration rate in America is his biggest issue leading into Election Day, and that he’s hopeful that Clinton will continue the work made in improving that area started by President Barack Obama.
“I definitely feel she’ll keep carrying on that legacy,” Pusha T said. “That’s the most important issue to me simply because I feel that’s the most important issue tearing apart our community right now.”
The staggering incarceration rates also result in a big slice of the population whose basic rights are impinged on because they’re former felons. “You can’t vote, you can’t get grants,” the rapper added. “It’s like you keep paying forever. We have to change that.”
Pusha T added that while he hasn’t met Clinton face-to-face – he and the candidate have only spoken over FaceTime – that could change when he attends her official Election Day party on November 8th. (The rapper, however, is forced to turn down Colbert’s invitation to the host’s live Election Day special on Showtime.)
Earlier in the interview, Colbert introduced the rapper to his audience with a quick course in Pusha 101, asking Pusha T about Clipse’s 2002 hit “Grindin'” and his involvement in creating McDonalds’ “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle.