Detroit rapper Icewear Vezzo is urging Black voters to evaluate candidates based on their experiences rather than blindly supporting traditional party lines, saying his generation has a responsibility to ask questions and make informed decisions.
Detroit rapper Icewear Vezzo, who has historically voted Democrat, is taking a new approach to the 2024 presidential election, pledging to vote based solely on his personal experiences with the candidates.
In an interview with "The Story with Martha MacCallum," Vezzo expressed concern that Black voters have often supported candidates without fully understanding their policies or platforms. He emphasized that voters should demand more from candidates and ask tough questions.
Icewear Vezzo Challenges Black Voters to Question Candidates, Not Vote Blindly
"Sometimes a lot of Democrats assume that we're supposed to just vote blindly, and I feel our votes should be worked for," Vezzo said. "I feel like our parents blindly voted for generations, but I think this generation is now understanding that we have to ask questions and our vote should be worked for. We should not just blindly vote because people say it's ‘cool,’ or tell us who to vote for because they want us to vote based on personal feelings. I vote based off of personal experience. I've experienced both presidents."
Vezzo's decision to support former President Trump in 2024 has sparked controversy, but he explained that his choice was based on his personal experience with the policies of both Trump and President Biden. He emphasized that he had not made a definitive endorsement but was "leaning that way."
"My life was different when Trump was in office. My family's life was different, the economy was different, and I actually care about the border, you know?" Vezzo said. "I actually have sense — we have sense, we have enough sense to ask questions. Not everybody that makes music or everybody that's from the trenches or the ghetto, we not all fools. You know, we don't do everything about money. No, I do not get paid. I'm just someone that… I'm a felon. I haven't always been able to vote, but now I'm able to vote, and I want to take advantage of my voting power, and I would like to ask questions."
Vezzo's comments echo the growing sentiment among some Black voters that they are no longer willing to blindly support Democratic candidates. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll conducted in Michigan and Pennsylvania found that support for Biden dropped by 20 percentage points among Black voters compared to the last election, while Trump received 15% support.
Other prominent rappers, including Lil Pump, Kodak Black, and Snoop Dogg, have also expressed support for Trump or criticized Biden. The former president's growing popularity among Black voters was further evidenced by appearances by New York Giants legends Lawrence Taylor and Ottis Anderson at his rally in New Jersey in May.
Vezzo's call for Black voters to hold candidates accountable is a reminder that the Black vote is not a monolithic bloc. Black voters, like voters of any other demographic, have diverse opinions and values, and they are increasingly making decisions based on their individual experiences and assessments of candidates' policies.
