35 year old entertainer Deon Jenkins, professionally known as Alpha Leo, is running for the President of the United States under the campaign name HipHop For President. He filed a statement of candidacy with the FEC. He recently released a song entitled “GiantSlayer” dissing Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump. We sat down with him for a candid interview about himself and the issues: Follow him on Twitter: @alphaleotime.
Jesse Atkinson: Firstly, for those who may not be familiar with you, tell the people a little about who you are?
HipHop For President: I am a Hip hop artist who has been dropping underground mixtapes and albums since the early 2000’s. I represent a sub-culture in Hip hop known as underground Hip hop. This sub-culture is an anti-establishment movement. The scene descended from that true essence of Hip Hop. The underground made Hip hop great in the golden era before the corporate world watered it down for commercial purposes.
JA: As a music artist, what is your unique selling proposition? What is it about you or your music that makes you unique from other Hip Hop artists?
HHFP: What makes me unique from other Hip hop artists is my ability to take a boring subject matter and make it entertaining to listen to. For instance, talking against Donald Trump’s policies would be considered boring to the average American. However, I make the topic exciting to where a 14 year old can build interest in those types of talking points.
JA: What does Hip Hop mean to you?
HHFP: Hip hop is a culture and a way of life. It is the representation and voice of a generation. It centered around inner city youth who’s voice was overlooked but those inner city youth took rhythm and lyrics and made themselves heard. When Grandmaster Flash stated, “don’t push me ’cause I’m close to the edge/ I’m trying not to lose my head..” inner city youth saw someone who they related to talking about them and their way of life. In the ‘hood we find ourselves trying to “keep from going under”.
JA: What do you feel is Hip Hop’s impact on society?
HHFP: Hip hop’s impact on society is a love-hate relationship. You can go to the suburbs and see a young white kid blasting an old Tupac record and see that same white kid become a judge later on locking up any young man who reminds him of ‘Pac. It’s funny and sad at the same time. The trends and fashion starts off in the ghettos. When I was a kid we made it cool first. Everybody tried to mimic our swag and then condemn us for it after it gets hijacked. White racist fathers would hate our guts because their rebellious daughters would blast Hip hop records in their rooms and bring home boys who looked like the artists just to make a rebellious statement.. Hip hop was hated even worse than devil worshiping music in a suburban Christian household.
JA: What is your opinion on the current state of Hip Hop?
HHFP: I think Hip hop is trying to get back to being some what lyrical and with substance. The reason why people like myself stayed underground for so many years is because the masses weren’t checking for substance. Everybody was so caught up on the hook and beat. That’s changing now. The underground culture is becoming more mainstream interest now.
JA: You wrote a diss song attacking Donald Trump. Tell us about the song
HHP: I wanted to give Donald Trump a dose of his own medicine. He’s a bully and he knows it. The reason why the song is buzzing so much is because it’s like the kid who stands up to the playground bully. Everybody starts talking about it and starts favoring that underdog kid. He put himself in a position of ridicule by being a political bully.
JA: You are running for President. Tell us why we should get your vote.
HHFP: I am going to be the only Presidential candidate planning reform on issues that matter to the 99 percent of America. I talk about Issues like reparations for slavery and oppression..free higher education, legislation against police brutality, better ideas for employment, curving incarceration penalties for at risk youth, legalizing Marijuana on a Federal level and using a Cannibus Hemp Tax from proceeds to fund reparations and college grants. I’m going to be the only candidate reforming these issues.
JA: What is your stance of immigration?
HHFP: We are all immigrants. The only people who have a true deed to this land are Native Americans. We heard people say go back to Africa, go back to Mexico, go back to China, Asia, the Middle East…but we never heard anyone say Go Back To Europe. Why is that?
JA: How do you feel about gun control?
HHFP: One of the most unconstitutional things that I can think of is legally disarming American citizens. As an American citizen we have the right to arm ourselves, especially in this day and age.
JA: What would you do to increase the work force and bring manufacturing jobs back to America?
HHFP: One thing that I plan to do is cut the red tape preventing road and highway expansion. Americans are buying more and more cars filling up the roads. Highway expansion is well over due. It will create thousands of jobs overnight.
JA: Where do you stand on foreign policy issues?
HHP: I think America is too caught up on what other nations are doing. However, I do have a responsibility to rebuild Africa. I plan to build ties with African leaders and help with their growth and development. I have dreams of unifying with countries like Haiti and helping them establish a developed economy. America need more allies and less enemies. Let’s stop trying to over-throw the world and build with the world; but first, it starts at home.
JA: Any final words for the people?
HHFP: Yes, I would like to say that I am being discriminated against in the election process. I am trying to get the guidelines of how to make the Democratic debate that’s going down in October in Nevada. I reached out to the President of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Schulz and I haven’t received an invitation or even guide-lines on how to get invited. The Democratic party is the party that tries to act as if it’s cohesive with our needs against oppression and discrimination and yet when we finally make a platform for ourselves we get ostracized and our voice is discriminated against.
