Atlanta rapper T.I. took to Instagram to berate Black celebrities who have decided to meet with President-elect Donald Trump because he claims they fail to understand that they are being used.
“No matter how positive you think the outcome may be, without understanding, man, people have a very Willie Lynch agenda,” he says. “You being there, being seen with them, taking pictures, smiling, it may seem positive to you, but there is a hidden agenda. You might not know it, but now you have been warned.”
In recent days, Trump has met with MLK’s eldest son, activist Martin Luther King III, and media personality Steve Harvey about improving the economic conditions of inner-city Black communities.
The rapper recommended that celebrities hell-bent on meeting with Trump should seek the wise counsel of someone like Rep. John Lewis who can better represent and articulate their positions.
T.I. added that Trump and his incoming administration realize that certain segments of the Black community do not hold the president-elect in high regard. So, Trump stages photo ops with Black celebrities to sway those segments to his side.
For example, the rapper said that young Black voters and the hip hop community did not support or show enthusiasm for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. That lack of enthusiasm carried over well after Trump’s victory. So, T.I. believes, that is why Kanye West met with Trump in December.
“Well, he’s their representative,” T.I. says, voicing what he believes is Trump’s thought process on these meetings. “They listen to his music, they buy his shoes, [and] they see him in concert. Surely, if we take a picture with him, he smiles and he says he’s cool with it, they will fall right in line.”
T.I. drew the same parallel as the reason why Trump met with Steve Harvey (black women), Ray Lewis and Jim Brown (football fans), and MLK III (MLK Day in midst of feud with Rep. John Lewis).
