Beginning with the Trayvon Martin case, Lebron James lent his voice to many issues and even endorsed Hilary Clinton. West, who started his career as a supposedly conscious rapper, decided to align himself with Donald Trump and his M.A.G.A. movement AFTER the election of 2016. As a result, West received significant backlash from both the Black community and Democrats. However, despite his techniques and the fact that I think that West’s political orientation was disingenuous and opportunistic, the truth is West’s electoral foray was attempting to siphon off two genuine occurrences, The moderation of Black America and the RE-EMERGENCE of an INDEPENDENT Hiphop political ideology which has been suppressed for DECADES but has been burgeoning Underground so to speak, much like the original manifestation of the culture of Hiphop itself.
In addition to being a form of social protest, Hiphop has been attempting to harness its influence specifically to affect electoral politics for at least the last two decades. Hiphop and its offshoots and derivatives run the WORLD of culture, so Hiphop is always present in the cultural landscape. But do the Hiphop artists, adjacent figures, and media personalities represent a functional political constituency that can reach and rally voters ala M.A.G.A.? Due to the nebulous nature of Hiphop, it can be difficult to quantify its influence correctly. Still, because of his skill in cultural usage of Hiphop motifs, many people consider Barak Obama the first Hiphop president.
During the presidential campaign of 2016, Hilary Clinton tried to use the formula, so to speak, by campaigning with JAY-Z, Beyonce
, and Lebron. Also, Rapper/ Activist Killah Mike campaigned with Democrat Bernie Sanders. But both lost to TRUMP, who, like it or not, is a New Yorker with HUNDREDS of mentions within Hiphop. Hilary Clinton’s loss to TRUMP showed a few things, but most importantly, that the Radical Left and Democratic party does not have a monopoly on Black culture and Hiphop as a tool for their purposes. Hiphop exists in and of itself. The Trump Era’s political activity contained many constituencies attempting to assert themselves. In addition to the numerous racial protests, such as the one for George Floyd, there were also protests centered around Women’s rights, Gun control, and others, such as Charlottesville, Virginia, and of course, culminating in the insurrection of January 6th. Hiphop culture was intertwined and front and center with this American surge in Populism.
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From congressional factions naming themselves “The Squad” to artists lending their voices to Congressman JC Watts Opportunity Zone legislation, the use of Hiphop in political activity did not cease during the Trump era. It reached its apex when Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries quoted and honored BIggie on numerous occasions, including as his closing remark during Trump’s impeachment trial where he finished his argument with the Biggie quote.”If you don’t know now, you know.” Moreover, there has also been the development of Hiphop based organizations such as the Hiphop Alliance and the City Council Win in Newark of Lords of the Underground frontman Dupre “Do it All” Kelly making him arguably the first major Hiphop artist elected to public office.
However, the move RIGHT by many in the Black community and the “flirting,” so to speak, with Hiphop Artists and adjacent personalities, such as 50 Cent, who endorsed Trump, and those who received pardons, such as Roc Nation C.E.O. Desiree Perez, Kodak Black, and Lil Wayne have to be considered. The writing’s on the wall. Democrats cannot take the Black vote for granted.(don’t they say that every four years ?) But is the Black vote the same as Hiphop vote? Let’s see how it turns out in 2024
