The Run The Jewels rapper was the latest guest in MIT’s Hip Hop Speaker Series.

Killer Mike held a guest lecture at MIT on Friday in which he discussed the topic of race relations in the United States. Prior to the lecture, the Atlanta hip hop veteran sat down with students and reporters for an illuminating question and answer session. Footage of the Q&A has since surfaced online.

Never one to shy away from the tough issues, Killer Mike discussed everything from the relationship between the police and the public to race in politics and music. He stressed the need for musicians to become better business people in order to survive in the music industry, and added that many rappers could learn a lot from the DIY ethos of ’80s punk musicians.

“I would argue we need more Roc-a-Fellas, we need more Bad Boys, we need more LaFace [Records],” he said. “And if you don’t have that, then you don’t have the cultural vanguard that will protect the artist.”

When asked to rate President Obama on race relations, Killer Mike that said he is no better than the average of any other president. Mike continued by saying that he is more concerned about how local governments such as Harlem or Compton deal with minorities than the federal government.

“There should not be a municipality in these United States that has over 60 to 70 per centAfrican Americans living in that municipality and that’s not reflected on the police force,” he said. “There shouldn’t be a municipality in these United States where 50% of the municipality is women and that’s not reflected on the police force, that affected on the politics. We’re fucking up because we’re voting for the wrong people locally and state-wise.”

Watch clips of the Q&A session below. [via CoS]