Tonight marks the third and final presidential debate before the election on November 8th. Ever since the first one, which took place on September 26th, Donald Trump has taken a huge nose-dive in the polls, but as we've seen in races past, anything can happen in the final weeks.
Hip hop generally leans to the left in political matters, but in such an out-of-character, unpredictable presidential race, we've seen many rappers step out of the party line for one reason or another. That doesn't necessarily mean we've seen a lot of rappers voicing their support for Trump (we haven't), but there do seem to be a lot more people saying they'll withhold their vote, or at least only begrudgingly vote for a candidate, than usual. We've rounded up a 20 rappers and singers' opinions on this election and voting in general, and have listed in the pages that follow so you can see who your faves are supporting next month. Unfortunately for HNHH's large population of Trump supporters, it was hard to find many MCs, singers, or producers who see eye to eye with your questionable beliefs, but we tried.
Pusha T
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
Pusha T AKA Blowbama has been one of the most involved rappers in this election, not only voicing his support for Clinton and Tim Kaine, but also participating in some of their campaign initiatives.
He designed an anti-Trump "Delete Your Account" shirt, based on a tweet by Clinton:
SMH at the idea of undoing Obama’s legacy w/ a vote for this BUFFOON. Vote! #ImWithHer https://t.co/vMpBFYgmnt pic.twitter.com/osPmocldQi
Then he announced that he was partnering with Clinton for a voter registration contest. If you can believe, Hillary tweeted that people who registered to vote on her site would get the chance to meet Pusha backstage at one of his shows. Wamp wamp what it do, Hil?
Enter to win: meet Pusha T. Register to vote and you’re automatically entered to win. https://t.co/n6NH65Mvkq
Most recently, Push was spotted stumping for Clinton running mate Tim Kaine in Miami:
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
After Donald Trump's performance at the first presidential debate scared him (see below), Chance The Rapper endorsed Hillary during a recent interview with Billboard.
When asked who he was supporting in the election, Chance replied, "Hillary Clinton, by far. Not to sound selfish, but she’s from Chicago so I would hope that she’d be engaged in our city’s current troubles and needs. She has a certain sincerity that’s hidden by the media. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s a woman or because Donald Trump just has a stronghold on the media at this time, but she’s unfairly treated. I can’t really speak on her policies but I feel a certain connection to Hillary Clinton that’s just not there with Donald Trump."
Dear God, the words law & order shouldn't strike so much fear in my heart as a law abiding citizen but I am so damn scared of Donald Trump
In addition, Chance has offered voter registration both on tour and on his website.
T.I.
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
Last year, T.I. put his foot in his mouth after saying that he could never "vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman." "My comments about women running for president were unequivocally insensitive and wrong," he later wrote. "I sincerely apologize to everyone I offended."
Then, during the primaries this spring, T.I. endorsed Bernie Sanders via the tweet below.
#SuperTuesday I'm Goin Wit Bernie.... Who U Got?!?!?!?! #GoVote #BeHeard pic.twitter.com/m4sn0GLjJl
But earlier this week, T.I. showed up again on the radio show where he made his original remarks about Clinton, this time more furious about Trump. "What's the big blob motherfucker in Star Wars?", he jokingly asked host DJ Whoo Kid, "He looks like a big pile of shit." Although he didn't call out Clinton by name, he did go on to make it pretty clear that she'd be receiving his vote. "Not voting is like voting for Trump and I just can't go for that one. If you can't think about doing what's best for the country, well, think about what's worse for the country and then just go against that. You got to to do something. Doing nothing should not be a call to action ever."
DJ Khaled
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
In a recent interview with Katie Couric, Khaled cited Trump as a member of the "THEY" he's always warning us about. "'THEY' also come in different disguises," he said, "They can actually come hug you, and show you love, but be behind-the-scenes really wanna finish you... You can't entertain ignorance... I'm about unity, I'm about peace, I'm about love, and if you're not about that, I can't be around you, because that's a negative force."
He went on to endorse Hillary: “Definitely not voting for [Trump]. The key is to vote because we need a vote to put the people in power that we want to represent us. So I’m definitely gonna vote for Hillary."
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
Just over a year ago, Pharrell appeared on Ellen to endorse Hillary. "It’s time for a woman to be in there," he said. "Women think about things in a holistic way, it’s not so individual... I’m saying I’m happy to be a man, but I love women. The thing is, if we had somebody looking after our country that thought about things as a whole, I just feel like it just would be different."
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
Blige sang at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year, and then right after the first debate, she sat down with Clinton for an interview. Her goal with this endeavor was to show people who Clinton is, "behind the politician," because as she went on to say "people don't give you a fair chance-- they're constantly after you, and I don't like it."
50 Cent
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
Fif was one of the earliest-decided rappers on this list, endorsing Hillary all the way back in May 2015. In an interview with the Daily Beast, he proclaimed, "It's Hillary time!", and even went so far as to suggest, "I also think Hillary was the president already once. You know what I’m sayin’? Some of the things she says feel really comfortable, and roll off. When people are really close with each other, they use each other as soundboards because they’re the other person’s best friend."
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
Although he initially supported Bernie Sanders, Legend has not only confirmed that he's behind Hillary on Twitter, but has also campaigned for her with his wife on numerous campaign stops. During a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, he also spoke at length as to why he's endorsing Hillary, and some of the important social issues she's addressing.
@Trish_Leonor Hillary has already won the nomination. I love Bernie, but it's time for Hillary over Trump now.
Snoop Dogg
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
Snoop was another early Hillary supporter, voicing his support in an interview on Bravo last May. "I’ll say that I would love to see a woman in office because I feel like we’re at that stage in life to where we need a perspective other than the male’s train of thought," he said. "And just to have a woman speaking from a global perspective as far as representing America, I’d love to see that. So I’ll be voting Ms. Clinton."
Furthermore, Snoop performed at the DNC's "Unity" concert directly following the convention this summer. Watch him rouse the crowd with his friend YG's "FDT" below.
Snoop Dogg begins his concert with his "fuck Donald trump" diss. Crowd of Dems & donors chant along #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/3FqzsllOXx
Vic Mensa
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Clinton
Like many others, Mensa was initially on the Sanders train, but has since come to support the Democratic nominee. He also cited Clinton's performance at the first debate as a factor that swayed him.
Bernie Sanders: I support Hillary Clinton. So should everyone who voted for me - LA Times - https://t.co/6PLyIMvpHf https://t.co/T3KfUN4Tld
Hillary gained a lot of respect from me last night for her criminal justice reform statements. We can't change the past only the future
YG
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Definitely not Trump, probably Clinton
As you all know by now, YG's main message this election season, loud and clear, has been "Fuck Donald Trump." His song "FDT" dropped in March, and he's currently on a tour of the same name, a nightly staple of which involves an audience member coming onstage to destroy a Trump-shaped piñata. Although he hasn't outright voiced his support for Clinton, he is adamant about registering to vote, and has been spotted wearing Pusha T's pro-Clinton shirt.
#FDT the motto! Register 2 vote https://t.co/Tz81QI6WmI #DeleteYourAccount pic.twitter.com/7EoIPMOqq8
Waka Flocka Flame
Voting: Maybe
Voting for: Clinton
Waka's been wishy-washy about his voting plans this fall, but very clear about whose side he's on. Last April, he said he'd only vote for Hillary if she'd help him push Flockaveli 2.
Then earlier this year he appeared on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and said "I don't feel nothing wrong with Hillary. If I was to vote for anyone, it would be Hillary... let's see what a woman gonna do." Your guess is as good as ours as to whether Flocka will go hard in the voting booth this year.
2 Chainz
Voting: Yes
Voting for: probably Clinton, but it's unconfirmed
2 Chainz's biggest issue when it comes to voting is reinstating felons right to vote. For several years now, he's been involved with a campaign called Respect My Vote that provides former offenders with information on getting their voting privileges back. In 2012, he told Huffington Post, “I’ve been a felon since I was 15, so when I found out that I could be reinstated and all of that and get my votership back, I’ve been a voice for that.” So there's no doubt that he'll be casting a ballot in a few weeks.
And while he has yet to give Clinton a formal endorsement, he did tweet about a campaign event hosted by her husband Bill in his hometown of Atlanta.
What's up Bill Clinton preciate ya slidin to da soufside today at my old HS #EarlyVoteGA #watchout #ImWithHer pic.twitter.com/SdCrf2X9xp
Talib Kweli
Voting: Probably
Voting for: not Trump, maybe Clinton
Talib Kweli has been involved with political activism for his entire career, so it's a safe bet that he'll at least vote in local elections this year. But when it comes to the presidential race, the waters are a little murkier. Even when Bernie was still in the race last fall, he was unwilling to endorse anyone when speaking with CNN. "To be honest with you," he said, "out of all the politicians who are running for president, if I had to go with the lesser of two evils and I was forced to vote for somebody, [Sanders] would probably be the one to get my vote at this time. But me saying that, that's really, really hypothetical. That's not at all me endorsing him as a candidate."
Since then, he's spent a good deal of time arguing with people about Trump and Clinton on Twitter, definitively coming out against the former, and while not holding back any criticism for the latter, clearly viewing her in a little higher regard than her opponent.
Explain how Hilary Clinton is a criminal. Not with opinion, with actual fact. Convicted of what? RT @JordanLewis1973: @TalibKweli Hillary
RT @GrafHeysoos: @CactusHowl Typical. Anti-Trump = Pro-Hillary! No. I'm Anti-Trump because I'm pro human decency. You should be, too.
"The media has made me such a huge star I can grab pussy whenever I want to but without the media, Hillary is nothing." via @realdonaldtrump
Killer Mike
Voting: yes
Voting for: probably neither, maybe Jill Stein
Killer Mike was obviously the loudest Bernie Sanders supporter in hip hop, meeting with him a few times and campaigning aplenty before he lost the nomination. Since then, he's stayed active in the political arena, claiming that he'll still cast a vote in the presidential election, but failing to endorse either candidate.
I will always vote RT @TheAlinDiaz: @KillerMike Are you voting in the general election if Clinton is the nominee?
@imac519 vote Green Party then. Just vote
Chuck D
Voting: Yes
Voting for: probably neither
Chuck D's another one of hip hop's most politically active rappers, and it's hard to imagine him not voting come this November. But similarly to Mike and Kweli, he seems disillusioned by the two main choices this year.
Trump vs Hillary is a page out of the bizzaroWorld.The $ in politrick$ is a crime itself.The rest of the planet is shuddering to this bulsht
Why couldnt BernieSanders be Hillary Clintons VP? Why has the VP been irrelevant since the 1920s? I dont understand this USA shtstem politic
Heres the TrumpHILL SURVIVAL-map. YOU better be trained to FIGHT against TRUMP. With Hillary YOU BETTER be trained to #StayWoke every second
Kendrick Lamar
Voting: No
Kendrick has remained silent this election cycle, but four years ago when Obama was up for reelection, he came forward to say that, as a rule, he does not vote. In an interview with TurthIsScary.com, he said the following:
“My vote counts? I don’t do no voting. I will keep it straight up real with you. I don’t believe in none of the shit that’s going on in the world. You talk with me, you talk with me for hours because everything has a contradiction, everything is higher ranking and way beyond us, way beyond people. So basically, do what you do, do good with your people and live your life because what’s going on isn’t really in our hands. When I say the president can’t even control the world, then you definitely know there’s something else out there pushing the buttons,” he continued. “They could do whatever they want to do, we all puppets. Just play your cards right.”
King Los
Voting: No
King Los has made his voting plans (or lack therof) no secret this year-- just check his tweets.
Hillary & Trump a joke.
Ummmm no. https://t.co/akQ967pEMO
i reserve my vote. No one deserves it.
Withholding your vote does not automatically count as a vote for Trump , don't be silly. People believe the craziest sh*t. DONT VOTE.
There's power in withholding your vote. Don't believe the trick "no vote , then you don't matter" THATS NOT TRUE!! keep ur power it's yours.
Diddy
Voting: Yes
Voting for: undecided
The one rapper we can truly say is still on the fence about the two main candidates is Diddy. Earlier this month, the "Vote Or Die!" spokesman told the New York Post that Trump "is a friend of mine," but he's still undecided. "As far as voting for him," Puffy said, "that has yet to be seen."
Azealia Banks
Voting: Yes
Voting for: Trump
Here it is, the one person we can find in the hip hop/R&B world who's endorsed Donald Trump. In a Twitter rant back in February, she explained her position, but the tweets have since been deleted. Read her thoughts below.
Ok so, I think I'm ready to admit that I'm going to vote for Donald Trump.
I think Trump is the only one who truly has the balls to bust up big business. Hilary is too tied in with them and Bernie has no clout.
The other candidates are simply ... "Them hoes over there" #thots
Just because Hilary Clinton and Bernie sanders say nice things about minorities doesn't mean they actually mean them
Politicians have been saying "nice" things about colored folks and we've still been getting fucked.
I only trust this country to be what it is: full of shit. takes shit to know shit so we may as well, put a piece of shit in the White House
I have no hope for America. It is what it is. Capitalist, consumerist, racist land of make believe. Its inherently evil and must feed ...
On others for it to survive. I didn't create it. I'm not proud of it . But I am here.... And it's all I know.
I was having a conversation over dinner with a friend about "the greater good of America" and what it means figuratively and literally
Like, how could the American Dream at this point survive without relying on a systematically oppressed underclass
Can it ? ... It can't. It's fucked up to know that in order for me to have this first world life someone somewhere else is suffering
But what do you do? And what does it mean? Do societies naturally organize themselves this way? Is this fate or conspiracy ?
I'm very pro-Africa and pro-africana but American exceptionalism and the American paradigm is super interesting to me.
Just how this web of lies and oppression has spawned itself into this global influence and made people proud to be a part of it
So proud that they'll fight and die for it.
In conclusion, I think Donald trump is evil like America is evil and in order for America to keep up with itself it needs him.
No, to sum up my rant the USA owes my people reparations so I can round them up and get the fuck out of here.https://t.co/Xa1SW3fHH1
And to sum up my rant: I am saying that politicians are inherently evil, I trust the one who is most transparent.https://t.co/Xa1SW3fHH1
Yes but he also recently said something very distasteful about reparations for slavery. So, I'm not voting for him.https://t.co/xzYBQD2LZw
My fear with Bernie, is having a man who has no clout trying to wrangle with an almost full republican House of repshttps://t.co/KEFa2nhU2l