Ray Tamarra, Getty Images
In an extended edition of his Miami New Times column, the former 2 Live Crew rapper opened up about his surprising decision to enter the political realm. "I've thought about running for public office before, but someone would always end up talking me out of it, saying, 'We have this good person here, he will do good for the community,' so I always backed out," he said. "But I'd end up frustrated because they didn't do anything. I'd give them ideas and they would just tell me what they wanted to hear.
"I get in my car, ride around Liberty City, and everything looks the same as when I was in the neighborhood growing up," he continued, detailing the factors that motivated him to run for mayor. "I see the same crimes in the same areas. Officers and residents are still getting killed in the community I grew up in. I go to a city like Atlanta that has sensible affordable housing, and no one is being murdered. I go to Miami International Airport and see the same construction that has been going on for like a hundred years. All of that frustrates the hell out of me. Why aren't we getting it right in Miami-Dade? Why is our government only serving one set of people? That's what is pushing me to run."
In his column, Luke has often addressed local politics, and even sounded off on voter turnout in the Miami area this past November. And, although his political background is limited, Luke says he'd run his office much like he ran his music label. "When I ran my record company, every year we would first go over what was making revenue for us and beef that side up," he said. "Then we would cut the areas where we were not generating revenue. The first place we looked was payroll. I'll do the same with the county budget." He also plans on taxing strippers.
The former musician has made headlines recently for his involvement in the community. In November, he was appointed as the assistant football coach for Miami Central High School. Luke, however, is not the first rapper to announce his quest for a political title this year. Chicago rapper Rhymefest is vying for a spot as one of the Windy City's fifty aldermen.
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