Sure, there were a neglectable few within Hip Hop who supported Donald Trump. However, a large majority of the culture gave a middle finger to a figure many saw as racists, misogynists and flat out evil. From actually calling out Trump on record to overwhelmingly supporting his opposition, a clear choice had been made. In a last plea for votes, Hillary Clinton even threw a free grandiose concert featuring Jay Z.
But, was it enough?
As America waits for Trump to officially take his place in The Oval Office, Hip Hop could take some adjustments in the political realm. For this edition of Stray Shots, HipHopDX Senior Features Writer Ural Garrett and Contributor Marcel Williams discuss exactly where the culture succeeded, dropped the ball and what can be done in future elections.
Is A Change In Approach Necessary For Hip Hop’s Political Aspirations?
Ural Garrett: Being completely honest here, classism is the root of Hillary’s defeat at the hands of Trump. Hip Hop’s support for Hillary Clinton proved exactly that. Earlier this year, I detailed how the Democratic primaries reflected a serious ideological divide that eventually worked in favor of Trump. Bernie Sander’s grassroots support by the likes of Lil B and Killer Mike matched the anti-establishment theme of this election. Anyone familiar with the mentioned rappers totally understood how much they thrive outside of pop culture.
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On several occasions, Killer Mike predicted exactly what would happen if Clinton became the nominee and was shunned for it despite being the most articulate. Plus, it’s hard to argue against the credibility of someone whose political activism stretches beyond the U.S. presidency. If he checked out during this election, who am I to judge? At least folks like Chance The Rapper got people voting.
Clinton attempted to align herself with mainstream pop’s view of Hip Hop and face planted. Using Pusha T to gain votes or providing free Jay Z performances didn’t attract new voters. Going on The Breakfast Club and proclaiming her love of “hot sauce” didn’t attract new voters. “Dabbing” on Ellen didn’t attract new voters. Doing the Mannequin Challenge didn’t attract new voters. Why? Because those represented the populous establishment of Hip Hop.
President Obama used Hip Hop successfully for one reason. He openly admitted to being an honest fan of the culture and always organically found ways to make that known. Clinton’s pandering was inauthentic and didn’t work toward expanding the voter base not one bit. Didn’t help that rappers like Jay Z, Pusha T, Migos, Rae Sremmurd illustrated elitism the former First Lady surrounded herself with.
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Clearly, there are many examples of rappers sending lyrical shots toward Trump going back as far as last year. YG and Nipsey Hussle’s “FDT” damn near became Hip Hop’s theme song for the election. Too bad nothing really came from it outside of just being a dope track. YG giving out red tinted bagels had to be the most bizarre display of activism I’ve seen in my life. There’s also an irony in someone using gang symbolism to support a woman who once called his kind “super predators.” Not to mention a husband whose legislation probably gave life terms to a bunch of his homies. For a large portion of rappers, hating Donald Trump was an exercise in marketing.
And, that’s the problem with how the Hip Hop community handled politics this time around.
Being a part of the political process stretches beyond getting worked up every eight years. Local and state government is just as important as the fight for The White House. This morning, I watched Rhymefest make a bold statement on CNN saying Trump’s presidency is the best thing to happen to America. Not because it would “Make America Great Again,” but would encourage more involvement in the political process. He went so far as to encourage more blacks to join the Republican party in order to create competition for minority votes. Of course, this comes from the same guy who once attempted to run for alderman of Chicago. This type of thinking creates real sustainable change.
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Marcel Williams To be honest, I think Hip Hop came together for Hillary in ways that we didn’t come together for Barack. In 2008, we came together to make history. The first Black man elected to the highest office in the nation. While he was running up against a racial thinking John McCain, we didn’t need to band together so strongly to defeat an obvious evil. trump (I refuse to give him the respect of proper noun capitalization) is that obvious evil. John McCain ran on the issues. He ran on policy. The Orange Goblin ran on xenophobia, misogyny, hatred, bigotry, and racism. We’ve never once saw him outline a plan for anything in a debate. He never had a clear and concise answer for anything. He never wanted to be inclusive of Hip Hop or Blacks or any minority. He talked in circles. AND IT WORKED!
We saw rappers like YG and Nipsey not only make a song aptly titled “Fuck Donald Trump” but did what they could to galvanize their listeners and get them to the polls. Gucci Mane spoke at HBCUs about how important it was for them to vote this election and how he wishes he could vote.
Hillary pandered to Black folk with “Dinner With Pusha T” and free Jay Z & Beyonce concerts. She chose grandiose and nuance over action and movements. The DNC took Black people for granted. The DNC took Hispanics for granted. The DNC took Hip Hop for granted. We don’t owe Hillary or the DNC anymore than what we’ve given them. They owe us an apology and they really need to work at regaining our trust and support.
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What needs to change from a Hip Hop perspective is LEARNING. We need to figure out how to best educate our youth on how government works. We need to end the apathy. We need to realize that the millennials of this country outnumber baby boomers in volume and we’ve pulled even with them voting aged bodies. There’s no reason we should continue to let them impose their antiquated will over us. This is our country. This is our future. It’s about time we start acting like it. You want weed legalized in your city, state, and federally? Get the fuck up, band together, and force legislation for it. WE HAVE THE NUMBERS! Want to see killer cops finally jailed for their crimes? Get the fuck up, band together, and force legislation for it. WE HAVE THE NUMBERS!
Every civil right we enjoy as minorities, we enjoy because of legislation. Our freedom was literally voted on. Our right to vote was literally voted on. Our right to go to school was literally voted on. Don’t tell me voting doesn’t work. We need to mobilize.
