Earlier this year, when Atlanta rapper Lil Baby released “The Bigger Picture” as a response to the civil unrest that had swept the nation, he inadvertently became a focal point of the protests as the song turned into an unofficial anthem of the movement. However, in a new profile in GQ, the My Turn rapper explains that he never wanted to be a leader and why he’s since stayed out of politics.
After planning to work with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms and having a conversation with district attorney hopeful Paul Howard misidentified as an endorsement, Baby decided his energy was best spent elsewhere. “The more I’m seeing what’s up with all that sh*t, the more I’m like, ‘Let me back up off politics,’” he says. “I don’t want to be no Malcolm X or Martin Luther [King].… I stuck my nose in it. I’m good on that.”
He says his intention in speaking with Howard was geared more towards trying to change the would-be D.A.’s outlook. “If I can sit at a table and really talk to you like I’m human, versus the politics and you in that courtroom, you really might come to reality versus you sending n****s goddamn down the road for 500 years,” he says. However, he says he never endorsed the candidate, even though Howard announced his endorsement on social media. “Paul Howard sent me to prison,” he clarifies.
Meanwhile, Lil Baby hasn’t been completely discouraged from civics; the profile notes that he’s investing in a local redevelopment project in the hopes of bringing opportunities to his hometown.
Read the full profile on Lil Baby here.
Source: https://uproxx.com/music/lil-baby-politics-bigger-picture/