Chance The Rapper Calls Out Donald Trump Over Chicago Violence Comments

Chance The Rapper doesn’t often talk about politics in his songs but the Chicago artist has never shied away from discussing the topic in public. He did so again after appearing on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday, when he was asked about President Donald Trump’s comments about his hometown.

The rapper shrugged off Trump’s comments, saying he’s never seen Trump in Chicago before. Chance added, “I don’t know if he knows what he’s talking about.”

READ: Chance The Rapper Meets With Governor Of Illinois

The comments the rapper was asked about were from January, when Trump tweeted, “If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible ‘carnage’ going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!”

Elsewhere in his interview with “The View,” Chance was asked about his thoughts on the violence that affects the city. When asked “what happened” in the city, he replied, “It’s the result of a lot of things. We have a underfunded public school system -- we’ve had a underfunded public school system for a long time.”

Chance then added, “We have over-policed neighborhoods and terrible relationships between the communities and officers.” When asked if there was also gang violence in the city, Chance said yes, but that it was very concentrated.

Overall, the rapper said there is a lot of tension in the city and claimed there are many reasons behind the violence that occurs there. “Years of being underappreciated and underserved as citizens of Chicago -- there’s a lot of [tension].”

Chance had previously responded to Trump’s comments, telling The Undefeated, “I hope he’s coming in to do some type of federal overturn of our state and city budgets in terms of schooling and housing.” The rapper also said he was tired of people talking about Chicago like it was a “third world country.”

The artist has also previously took action when it came to Chicago’s public schools. In March, Chance donated $1 million to support the arts program after the district cut $46 million from its budget.

READ: The 11 Best Songs From Chance The Rapper

“Governor Rauner can use his executive power to help get Chicago’s children the resources they need to fulfill their God-given right to learn,” Chance said. “Governor Rauner still won’t commit to give Chicago’s kids a chance without caveats or ultimatums.”

The rapper went on to say, “Our kids should not be held hostage because of political positioning. This isn’t about politics. This isn’t about posturing. This is about taking care of the kids. Everybody and their momma knows about what’s going on in Chicago … but we’re about to enhance the conversation.”

According to the artist, the money he donated would be split among 10 schools and would come from the ticket sales of his tour. Chance has a few dates left on his 2017 tour, which features stops in New York, North Carolina and Florida. Check out his remaining tour dates below:

June 2 – New York, New York – Governors Ball Festival
June 3 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – Veterans United Home Loan Amphitheater
June 4 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live
June 6 – Baltimore, Maryland – Royal Farms Arena
June 7 – Greensboro, North Carolina – Greensboro Coliseum Complex
June 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina – PNC Music Pavilion
June 10 – Manchester, Tennessee – Bonnaroo Music Festival
June 11 – Atlanta, Georgia – Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 13 – Miami, Florida – American Airlines Arena
June 14 – Tampa, Florida – Amalie Arena
June 16 – Eau Claire, Wisconsin – Eaux Claires Festival
June 17 – Dover, Delaware – Firefly Festival