Machine Gun Kelly, Ryan Leslie Urge Young Voters To Think Local

Things got pretty political on Wednesday's "RapFix Live." In anticipation of the first 2012 presidential debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, "RFL" guests Ryan Leslie and Machine Gun Kelly spoke politics as well.

Ryan Leslie understands how the youth can become disenfranchised with the U.S. political system, but he encourages young voters to get involved on the local level if they'd like to see more direct results. "They feel like they can tune in, they might be able to cast a vote, but they always feel so apathetic about what the results could actually be," he said. "My work has really been focused on looking at emerging candidates. So, yes, I am someone who is definitely active in that arena."

Leslie spoke about Michael Tubbs, a 22-year-old who is running for City Council in his native Stockton, California, a city plagued with crime and financial woes. The Stanford University graduate even secured a $10,000 donation from Oprah Winfrey after he impressed the media mogul in April. "That's an example of something that I definitely want to support and be a part of," Leslie said.

The singer/rapper — who is set to release his next album, Les Is More, on October 22 — didn't discourage new voters from participating in the upcoming November 6 presidential election but stressed the importance of local politics as well. "I think that on a very local and individual and personal level, there's a lot that can be done to start rebuilding this nation," he said.

Instead, Kells echoed Leslie's sentiment in hopes of getting kids more involved in their communities. "What you were saying about youth can come out and start by helping their community, I felt like that's really where our views can mesh," he said.

Stick with MTV's Power of 12 throughout the 2012 election season.