On Tuesday night (Oct. 11), BET presented the freestyle heard 'round the world when they broadcasted Eminem's scathing freestyle directed at President Trump. In the immediate aftermath of the freestyle, hip-hop and celebs from every sector of the entertainment world   offered their takes on the bars. Now you can add a politician to that list, as Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison has served up his own opinion on "The Storm"—and it's quite an interesting one.

Speaking with the folks at TMZ, Congressman Ellison compared Slim Shady to Colin Kaepernick, saying he could be rap's version of the embattled former San Francisco quarterback, who chose to kneel during the customary playing of the national anthem before NFL contests last year.

"Let me tell you, Eminem and many artists make an important culture contribution, and we need to embed within our culture that voting is an obligation," Congressman Ellison says in the video. "It's a responsibility, and that if you don't vote, that's not a protest. You can't boycott the vote. If you boycott the vote, you just make sure somebody else is in there who doesn't like you. And, so the truth is, is that in Michigan, we did see a drop in turnout. So, you know, Eminem, is a son of the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit, is doing the right thing. He's doing what we expect artists to do."

After using singers/activists Marvin Gaye and Mahalia Jackson's legacy of activism to contextualize Eminem's potential to create something similar, Ellison issues his Kaepernick comparison. "Eminem could be the Colin Kaepernick of the rap world if he just keeps it up, you know what I mean," Ellison says. "We need him to do that."

Check out what Congressman Ellison has to say for yourself in the video below.

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