Killer Mike wants you to vote.
Killer Mike wants you to vote. Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com

• Although we all got excited yesterday when Killer Mike announced his intention to run for state representative of Georgia’s 55th House district via Instagram, not so fast there. As CNN pointed out, “Local politicos quickly took to social media to point out that he couldn’t run as a write-in candidate without filing the necessary paperwork.” Five hours later, the rapper informed us that, unfortunately, this was true. (And yet, it’s okay for Donald Trump to run for president of the United States.)

I can’t run 😞 BUT 😀 For the folks that were willing to Write in #MichaelRender Thank U so Much. I am gonna run one day and WE WILL WIN. However in Ga I wud have to officially enter as a “write in” vs being an Actual Write in (those are the breaks) but, I really felt it important to draw attention to this race. We have BIG Problems in education, schools and prison reform in Ga and I I wanna see change. I wanna see Yall active in Local politics. The fact that ya’ll are willing to support me shows change is possible and while I run around rapping with @thereallyrealelp doing #RunTheJewels for the next few yrs I want ya’ll to get & stay active and Run for office! We need more New and fresh ideas & people! Now Tomorrow yall choose between two sisters, a Junior & a white indie (really republican and I’m cool with that too if he does the job so give him a look) I suggest yall Google them read up tonight and GO VOTE tomorrow! I will Run In the Future and We Will Win! Love and Respect Michael Render #Vote #District55 #TomorrowInGeorgia #DontWriteMeInYet #IwannaKeepRapping #MyWifeStillLikesStripClubs #MyOGwantMeToRunDoe #GetAvtive #ChangePolitics #ISeeICanRunAndIWillOneDay #ThankYall make sure yall watch me on #TheNightlyShow with Larry Wilmore at 11:30 est. 🇺🇸 #GoVote

A video posted by Killer Mike (@killermikegto) on

Killer Mike also stopped by Larry Wilmore’s Nightly Show to join in the ongoing discussion about Rachel Dolezal—the former head of Spokane’s NAACP chapter, who stepped down yesterday. Killer Mike had a lot to say, but here’s a few of my personal highlights.

On Dolezal’s skin color: “Now that I live in a white suburb, I can tell you. That’s a mall tan. I see 50-year-old moms in True Religion Jeans and they’re all basketball orange.”

On Spokane: “They have to import the black people for the NAACP!”

On whether or not he would ever choose to be white: “Yes, but only for two days a month.”

Watch the clips in their entirety below:

• Artist Talib Kweli was decidedly less humorous when it came to his opinions on Dolezal. Kweli did not mince words when he told Rolling Stone:

She’s said she identifies as black. Cool story, but that’s not a real thing—because at any time, she could go back. That is a privilege that people of color do not have. You cannot just jump back and forth between those worlds. It’s very disrespectful to the people of color that she claims to identify with to say something like that. When you say something like that, you are not identifying with us, at all, in any way, shape, or form… You’re not a friend or an ally to the movement. You’re an enemy. Maybe you’re not as dangerous an enemy as killer cops, but you’re not down with us at all.

• The long list for Canada’s Polaris Prize was announced this morning, and it contains some pretty great picks including: Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, White Lung’s Deep Fantasy, the Weather Station’s Loyalty, Caribou’s Our Love, Cold Specks’ Neuroplasticity, and METZ’s II. The list will be shortened on July 16, and the $50,000 grand prize winner will be decided on September 21. You can peep the full list over on Stereogum.

• In other news, Duran Duran has announced they will be released their new album, Paper Gods, in September via Warner Bros., and apparently it features Lindsay Lohan? Also, this new Beck track is a jam. I’m going to go back to listening to it now. Happy Tuesday.