Sean “Diddy” Combs talked about his endorsement of Joe Biden for president and the launch of a Black political party during a conversation with Charlamagne Tha God that premiered Thursday.

In a video uploaded by Revolt TV, the rapper also addressed his comment from earlier this year that Black people should “hold the vote hostage” until political parties show more support for the community. In the conversation, he stood by his belief that the current mainstream parties do not do enough for Black Americans, but said voting is crucial to this election.
“It would be irresponsible of me to have us hold our vote hostage, but it would also be irresponsible of me to just let this moment go by — the world is watching — and not do everything I can to make sure that, going forth, we are part of the narrative, that we own our politics,” he said.

As of Friday, Diddy has launched a political party called Our Black Party, with the goal of unifying African-Americans behind a single agenda. During the conversation, Diddy said a major motivation for creating the party comes from his disillusionment with the current political system. While he endorses Biden’s bid for president, he said he does not feel that elected officials often fail to make good on their promises to Black people.
He noted that he has “played the game” and supported Democrats for their views before, but problems are still abundant. Neither party, he said, has done much for the Black community.

Charlamagne Tha God said Biden’s choice to choose Kamala Harris as his vice presidential candidate was an important step, but ultimately agreed that the party’s Black agenda could be much stronger. Having a Black woman like Harris in the upper reaches of the nation’s executive branch of government helps bridge the gap and hold politicians accountable, Diddy added.
“Black women have got us to this point. To see him recognize that, I started feeling a little bit better,” he said. “I think we all did start to feel a little bit better, and it’s helpful that we’ll have her in there because we need to keep her and him accountable. And at least we have somebody that we can dialogue with, somebody that we can relate to in office.”
Though much of the interview focused on national politics, Diddy took time to share his thoughts on the importance of local elections. To him, local policies and judges play pivotal roles in bringing about change within the way communities of color are treated. He recommended that Black people take at least 15 minutes per day to research everything on their ballots and get engaged in bringing about local change.