Joey Badass has been a vocal opponent of Donald Trump, as demonstrated in the lyrics of his latest album, All-Amerikkkan Badass.
"If you 'bout this revolution, please stand up/We ain't got no one to trust/Time is running up, feel the burn in my gut/And if you got the guts, scream, ‘Fuck Donald Trump,’" he raps on "Rockabye Baby" featuring Schoolboy Q.
Though many other rappers have expressed similar sentiments, Joey now says he regrets mentioning POTUS’ name in the project. And, no, it’s not because he has a newfound respect for Trump. It’s because he believes the lyrics distract people from the larger issues.
"Yes, there’s a f***ing popularised douchebag in the office right now but he’s only making these problems worse, he’s not the reason for the problems," he told the London Evening Standard. "Like, we had these problems with Obama. Stop thinking Donald Trump is the only problem. Like, he’s one of the many problems. I wish I didn’t even f***ing say his name on the album because in every interview people are asking me about him, and I don’t give a f*** about him." He goes on to say: "Yeah, I said ‘f*** him’ but who’s not saying that? Who’s not on that type of wavelength? He’s a part of the times, but just a little part of it."
The Brooklyn rapper said he began working on the album before Trump took office, and that the project also addressed many problems he witnessed under the Obama administration. Joey also spoke about being labeled a "political" rapper, a term he doesn’t exactly embrace.
"Define political. I’m not a politician. I’m not trying to be…I’m not talking about passing laws and signing treaties. I’m just talking about real shit that I see on the ground, on the surface. This is what's going on around me," he explained. "[…] This is not political music, this is real music. This is the first body of work I’ve made where it wasn’t for myself but it definitely wasn’t for politics. I have a hard time accepting people calling it political music."
