In an interview with Newsweek, Common had some pretty strong words about what American life would look like if Donald Trump is elected president. And none of them were nice.

"America wouldn’t be taking a step back… we’d be taking 12 steps back [if Trump becomes president],” the rapper/actor told the publication. “It would be returning to some of the mentality of racism we’ve seen in the mid-Sixties, in the civil rights era. It would be returning to some of the actual racism that existed in slave days.”

Common's stance on Trump isn't shocking at all—everyone from Will Smith to YG has blasted the Republican presidential candidate for his bigotry and overt racism. But Common took some flak for his "we are the world" philosophies regarding racism back in 2015, when he basically said that if black people would extend a hand in love to white folks, and forget about the past, there'd be less racism. He was dragged for the comment but appears to be back on track these days.

“There’s a certain mentality that is being put out there [by Trump’s campaign] that it doesn’t seem like it’s for [the good of] everybody,” Common said in the interview. “It doesn’t seem like the intention is to unite people. It is part of the racist mentality that we in America don’t want to be part of, that we’re tired of and want to get rid of.”

Unlike some artists, who have declared that they're sitting out of this year's presidential elections, including one who's not voting because he's "mixed," Common says he's supporting Hillary Clinton because it's time for a woman president.

“My hopes and beliefs are that Hillary Clinton can be elected. I feel like having a woman as president is needed at this point,” he said. “Let’s bring new energy into it. Our president [Barack Obama] has already done the best he can at getting the country going in the right direction. If Hillary can continue that movement and make things better for the country… that’s my hope. I’m speaking up for Hillary because we can’t allow Trump to get into office. That’s not acceptable.”

Common is currently supporting Allsate's Quotes for Education campaign, which pledges to donate up to $250,000 to fund scholarships for students attending HBCUs. On the music front, he's set to appear at fellow Chicago rhymer, Chance the Rapper's, Magnificent Coloring Day Festival in September.

 

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