A Baltimore-area rapper who has gained attention performing online readings of Omarosa Manigault Newman’s recent White House memoir, says he hopes the readings will encourage people to become interested in politics.
“A portion of this country has tapped out from the process. They’re wiped,” DDm, who was born Emmanuel Williams, told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons on “Rising.”
“By reading this book by a person who amongst a lot of demographics can be divisive, bringing them together by reading this has gotten them interested in the story again,” he continued.
Manigault Newman made headlines with a series of claims about President Trump in her memoir, “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House,” including that Trump is racist and in the midst of a mental decline.
Williams, who has long followed political news, said the idea to start conducting live readings of the book was originally just for fun.
“I started reading the book as a joke. Like, I was interested in it because I follow the news cycle. I was like, I gotta get this book. Then the tapes came out and I was like I gotta get this book,” he said.
“I’m thinking a few of my friends [are] going to watch, will laugh, and it’ll be over. I turned it off, 2,000 people [had watched],” he added.
Williams said Manigault Newman reached out after she got wind of the online readings.
“She was just talking about how much she loved the readings because I didn’t know if she was going to like the readings or not. And she was very positive,” he said.
The readings have garnered enough attention that Williams has launched a YouTube channel, as well as a podcast titled “Secretary of Shade,” which will go live on September 4.
— Julia Manchester
