Luther Campbell could become the first rapper to be elected mayor of a major American city. Days after Miami’s mayor, Carlos Alvarez, was recalled, Campbell invited rolling out magazine to his home in South Florida to discuss why he decided to run for political office. Here are a few of his thoughts from the interview and exclusive photo shoot. –amir shaw
On why he wants to run for mayor of Miami:
“I have always been involved in politics. When I saw the mayor of Miami raise property taxes and give his staff a raise, I was very disturbed like others in the community.”
On being judged for his provocative music:
“As young men, we all do crazy things. If you haven’t been through anything, how can you lead? We normally elect guys who seem squeaky clean. But those guys are some of the most corrupt people in politics. I would rather vote for a guy who has been through something and can relate to the community.”
On why his campaign is similar to Barack Obama’s rise to the White House:
“Barack’s campaign feels like my campaign. When he first decided to run for president, a lot of the black politicians did not support him. He continued to gather young voters, Latinos, whites and blacks. That’s the same movement that’s happening with me in Miami. Traditional politicians may not jump on my band wagon in the beginning, but the people in the community will have their say.”
