But they came under the understanding that we want you to make the video that merits this music. Corporations like Pitchfork and YouTube are the reasons I’m entitled to that. That doesn’t mean I don’t take corporate money. When I rap my interest is pleasing the people I rap for and not pleasing a corporation, who may or may not give me money. We should seek the people we rap to and we rap for. As MCs, we should not be pandering to these corporations. So for me, the Reagan in hip-hop that I’d like to see destroyed is the value of corporation’s favor.

It’s the Reagan ideology of being a puppet to a puppeteer that is corporate interest over human interest. Because he didn’t have power, the corporations held the power.

When I’m talking about Reagan being dismantled it’s less about the human being that was Ronald Reagan. Is there a rap equivalent, either a figure or ideal that you’d like to see dispelled? The track “Reagan” deals a lot with the breaking down of ideologies, particularly addressing how Reagan was an actor-in-chief but it goes beyond him. The rapper is just a man with a fancy chain and the president is just a man in a chair. To Mike there’s little difference between a talking head reading teleprompters and a rapper glorifying gang life and the consumption of liquor brands. The problem being puppets with corporate-interest hands stuck in their backs. There’s far more to take from “Reagan” than a battle-cry against the idealized Great Communicator as Mike calls out hip-hop for being part of the problem. It’s bigger than politics or hip-hop, though. The album is an eardrum assault, but on “Reagan” the tension is ripe for El-P’s cinematic builds that culminate to Killer Mike’s grand proclamation, “ I’m glad Reagan dead.” The statement perks the ears as the beat drops out entirely to alert all in earshot of Mike’s definitive four words. There will be things that feel like they need to be said.” We discussed his sneaky left over the phone Mike stating “When I write I try not to put parameters on myself. His collaborative album (also featuring T.I., Bun B and others) is one of the most talked about records of the year, garnering a comparison from Pitchfork Media to Ice Cube’s classic AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, thanks to Bomb Squad production meets doom-heavy space funk beats from El-P.

With the future of the Dungeon Family, an Atlanta-based collective comprised of Outkast, Cee-Lo and Goodie Mob, in limbo Killer Mike emerged from its shadows this year with R.A.P. As rumors circulated that Ronald Reagan’s hologram would deliver a speech at the Republican National Convention, the significance of Killer Mike’s “Reagan” magnified to the level of, “If you hear one song this year…” Reagan remained dead, leaving us with one last enemy in the cross hairs: his legacy.

Songs like killer mike reagan