Exclusive
TMZ.com
Talib Kweli‘s been engaging in an online war with racists, bigots, Nazis and Russian trolls, and he’s not backing down … because he says it’s empowering to put them in their place.
The rapper and activist tells TMZ … combating Nazism in the Russian hip-hop scene is just the tip of the iceberg — he says the racist trolling online goes way deeper and darker than that, but he’s up for the challenge.
Talib feels certain world leaders — Putin and Trump among them — are coddling racists and allowing their message to spread. He says racist behavior on social media can’t just be dismissed as harmless trolling, because it enables more racism … and he’s out to check it.
Kweli concedes many people aren’t up for battling bigots because it’s too stressful, but the good news — he makes it clear it doesn’t stress him out at all … he loves it.
The rapper says the feeling he gets when he’s able to correct a racist liar or get Nazis’ accounts taken down is nothing but empowering … and his fans are joining the charge.
Talib adds the reason he’s fighting the good fight is to follow in the footsteps of past brave leaders like MLK and Malcolm X … who weren’t afraid of death, but knew what was worth dying for.