Talib Kweli is no stranger to the politics of the world. Kweli, who made his presence known last year in Ferguson, Mo., doesn't just use his music as a vessel to speak out against systemic racism; during any point of the day, you can find him schooling people on Twitter.
On Friday the rapper appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher and discussed the Black Lives Matter movement and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Maher asked Kweli why protesters would hijack Sanders' campaign during his Seattle stop, even though the NAACP has thrown its support behind the Democratic candidate.
"The NAACP liked Donald Sterling, too," Kweli stated. "Bernie Sanders is somebody who, just because someone has a record of civil rights, doesn't mean they are automatically entitled to the black vote."
And that's exactly what people seem to think is the issue. But just because you have a record of civil rights involvement doesn't mean you get an automatic "in."
Kweli also said that Sanders is an easy target because he's accessible. Imagine a bunch of people trying to bum-rush a stage while Hillary Clinton is speaking. Highly unlikely.
"He might be the easiest because he's somebody who's dealing with the people more directly than a Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton. He might be the easiest to get to," Kweli said.
"Me personally, I'm friends with some of the people who started Black Lives Matter. My sensibilities, when I first saw what happened to Bernie in Seattle, I was like, 'Well, that's not right,' but I was corrected," Kweli told Maher. "The job of activism is not to be liked or not to be polite; black women vote more than anybody in this country, and you have young black women who started Black Lives Matter, and they are forcing this discussion."