Luther Campbell is officially running for mayor of Miami-Dade County but is still fighting to be taken seriously. The former rapper named "Uncle Luke" spoke on CNN News Room Monday (May 9) and fielded questions about the sincerity of his run for mayor and his past as a raunchy rhymer.

Campbell revealed that "I'm Dead Serious" is his campaign slogan and also noted that the politics of the race are "Banana Republicans." Despite only raising about $10,000 for his campaign thus far, Campbell believes that his fame and track record as a community organizer and activist will help overcome his relatively lean coffers. "Name recognition goes a long way," said Campbell. "The other candidates have to spend a lot [of] money selling people on the idea that they're the best guy for the job. But I've actually did the work in my community over the years."

Issues that Campbell cited as important for his cause were stopping the privatization of a public hospital and concerns the federal governments takeover of Miami's housing and transportation departments. The Miami hip-hop legend believes his leadership will mean fresh ideas for the Miami government. "When I look at the different guys I'm running against, they look like the same type of people that are going to continue the status quo," he said.

The former 2 Live Crew rapper also dismissed any notions that his run for mayor was some type of ploy for publicity. "Me and my wife actually wrote the check for the filing fee," said Campbell, negating any rumors that the Miami New Times, where he has a column chronicling his run, paid for his entry into the mayoral race. "It's not a publicity stunt under no circumstances."

"I'm 50 years old right now, I had my days of having fun as a youngster, as a rapper," continued Campbell. "But at the same time I'm a freedom fighter, I fought for the first amendment, went all the way to the Supreme Court. So this doesn't surprise the masses of people."



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