Hip-hop and Election 2012: How Obama went from being 'the bomb', to being 'the man'

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The only other rapper to appear in Will.I.Am’s Obama anthem “Yes We Can” video was Common, a progressive rapper from Chicago who was Obama’s first hip hop supporter. Common was the first rapper to propose supporting Obama on the “Why” remix by Jadakiss, saying “Why don’t we impeach him (Bush) and elect Obama.”

Still, Obama’s support and connections to hip-hop have been a political liability for him. Fox news attacked Obama in 2008 for his connection to Ludacris, who had recorded a pro-Obama song in which Hillary Clinton was called the b-word. The Obama campaign was forced to distance itself from Ludacris, calling his song “outrageously offensive.”

Fox News would call for Obama to publicly denounce “cocaine” rapper Young Jeezy after Jeezy performed his pro-Obama song “My President Is Black” at an (unofficial) inauguration party. Jeezy’s song equated Obama to a material sign of success for black people, as he followed up the statement with “my Lambo is blue” — an endorsement of Obama’s symbolism but not his policies.

Recently, Fox news again attacked Obama’s connection to hip-hop by slamming the White House for inviting rapper Common to a poetry reading. Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin called Common a “thug,” accusing him of “glorifying” cop killing in a song about Black Panther Asaata Shakur. If the White House can be criticized for their ties to Common, considered one of the more clean-cut, inoffensive rappers in the hip-hop community, can Obama afford to solicit rappers’ support for the upcoming 2012 election?

Will Obama be forced to denounce rappers who publicly support him? Will their support hurt more than it helps? One rapper who has been a great asset for Obama has been Jay-Z. By supporting Obama’s stance on the tax code, saying he would be willing to pay more taxes, and Obama’s stance on gay marriage, Jay-Z is rebelling against hip-hop’s capitalist and homophobic themes.

It is interesting that Fox News chose to attack the White House’s ties to Common and not Jay-Z. Jay-Z’s lyrics are far more offensive than Common’s and many lyrics deal with drug dealing and violence — yet they lack Common’s revolutionary rhetoric.

But Jay-Z has managed to infiltrate mainstream America and become legitimized through his business and media skills. Maybe an attack on Jay-Z from Fox News would be a good thing, as he would have to denounce some of his more offensive lyrics to maintain his position as the unofficial hip-hop spokesman.

Jay-Z has become the Frank Sinatra to Obama’s Kennedy. Jay-Z can help bring Obama the cool and young vote while Obama can help legitimize Jay-Z. Sinatra provided the theme song to Kennedy’s election and helped rally his celebrity friends around Kennedy.

Still Kennedy would throw Sinatra under the bus after the election, after it was revealed that the legendary singer had close ties to several underworld figures. Obama could possibly face the same dilemma if Jay-Z’s past and ties to “gangsta” rappers become highlighted.

Although most current rappers seem more concerned with the newest Mercedes than the presidential election, Obama can count on support from Jay-Z, Russel Simmons, P. Diddy, Will.I.Am and the others who helped him in 2008. Nas has proclaimed his love  for Obama and the president has admitted to listening to Nas’ album Distant Relatives with Damian Marley.

Chuck D,  one of the strongest anti-establishment rappers from its golden political age, who wrote “Fight The Power” and anti-George W. Bush song “Son of a Bush” has spoken out in support of Obama on several occasions.

Still, Obama can’t count on the support of every rapper. Kid Rock, who began his career as a Too Short clone who rapped about sex, drugs and pimping women, has endorsed Mitt Romney for president at a Romney rally after Romney personally sought him out. Rock has changed his tune — and his persona — to that of a country rock star who proudly wears the Confederate flag.

If Fox News tries to bash Obama’s connection to hip-hop by using the lyrics of one of his supporters, the Obama campaign can counter the attack by using some of Kid Rock’s many offensive lyrics, including this one on his collaboration with ultra-offensive rappers, The Insane Clown Posse:

“I’m that n-word that you b-word would die for, the whore showed up at my front door so I f**ked her in the a** and kicked her out the front door.”

Rapper KRS-One, who was one of the most prolific voices in political hip-hop in the ’80s and ’90s, is not supporting Obama, but supports Republican nominee Ron Paul. KRS-One has toured in support of Paul and has appeared on Paul supporter Alex Jones’ DVD The Obama Deception, saying: “[T]hey put a black face on the New World Order and now we all happy. KRS ain’t buying it.”

It is interesting that KRS is supporting Ron Paul over Obama given Paul’s long track record of racist newsletters and connections to white supremacists. He’s not the only rapper supporting Ron Paul; rapper Prodigy is another person caught up in the New World Order conspiracy, while ignoring claims of Paul’s ties to white supremacists and racist history.

It is a sad commentary on both the state of hip hop and politics when pro-black rappers see no other option in politics than to endorse someone who many believe has white supremacist sympathizers and who stands with the South in the Civil War and the segregationists on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Rapper Immortal Technique has become one of the voices of the Occupy Wall Street. In an interview, Immortal Technique claimed he was “willing to put Obama’s second term on the alter of democracy and sacrifice it if we need to to send a message.”

Still, Occupy Wall Street is hardly a hip-hop movement. Recent surveys show that Occupy Wall Street is less than 2 percent black. The movement has also distanced themselves from hip-hop personalities Kanye West, Jay-Z and Russell Simmons who allegedly tried to co-opt Occupy’s message, due to their materialism and capitalism.

In this election year, rappers probably will not be criticizing President Obama. Not because he’s black, but because rap has largely lost its political voice.

Hip-hop will support President Obama, not as a political voice but as a marketing tool. Obama will be once again promoted as a symbol and figure by hip-hop, while the politics behind him will be ignored.

And again, if the Republicans try and use rap to attack Obama, he only needs to counter with the Republican embrace of Kid Rock, whose lyrics are far more offensive than any Obama-supporting rapper’s.

Rap has come a long way, from political scapegoat to political marketing asset. The “Cop Killer” now plays a cop on TV and the “Bush Killer” now works for Wall Street, the same entity that funded Bush’s Presidential campaigns. Rap no longer fights the power; now it fights to keep the president in power.

Follow Casey Gane–McCalla on Twitter at @CaseyGane.