America with Barack Obama becoming the first black president of the United States. Overnight the African American population got an Image that they always wanted to have. It was the greatest political victory In the history of black America. During the 2008 presidential election Senator Barack Obama received support from many hip hop artists Like Young Jeez, Jay-Z, Drake and Will I am.
These artists expressed their support for his election by mentioning Barack Obama ;s name and his political affiliations in their years or Just spread messages over the daily media which is used today like the Internet. The artists used Backbone, Youth, Twitter for telling the fans of their music to vote for Barack Obama. This support created a huge interest in politics amongst the younger generation and strengthened support among hip hop fans for Barack Beam’s election as President.
Many people see Hip Hop as party music; where it should Just “move the crowd,” the link to gangs and rap, graffiti, breakneck, violence and the extraordinary lifestyle. It Is not all like that It can also be regarded as literally Important; hip-hop has a long history of artists recording songs with explicitly political Intent. This term paper Investigates the link between HIP Hop, politics and Barack Obama as an issue. How Barack Obama got involved Into HIP Hop. The first chapter will give you a short overview about what is Hip Hop and when did it come into existence?
The second chapter will outline the roots of political hip-hop. In the last chapter you will get information about how Barack Obama got involved into Hip Hop with the help of media, which artists supported him and spread messages ever Youth, or mentioned his name in their lyrics to make the population of America vote for him during the 2008 election. Examining the song texts you will get an overview about which artist was supportive and which one less. 2. What Is HIP Hop? “These words we say, we want yea ‘II to hear…
We’re goanna make a lot of sense- we’re goanna make It clear… ” These phrases tell the people what Hip Hop is about. In Hip Hop is every word important the artists express themselves by speaking. According to wrath’ s the Joint: The Hip Hop Reader” is rap mostly spoken with a rhythm of bass, drums, and some keyboard sounds. The Hip Hop history started in the early sass’s where some of the elements that make up rap music were included in Blues and Jazz. Hip Hop and Rap music became its own music genre in the sass’s created by African- Americans and Latino- Americans.
It started in the South Bronx of New York where the artists created a beautiful, prideful expression of music, art and dance from a background of poverty. DC ‘s began with scratching records and made rhythms, beats and other sounds. Rap music Is a form of rhymed storytelling accompanied by highly rhythmic, electronically based music. Rappers would speak with the voice of personal experience, From the outset rap music has articulated the pleasures and problems of black urban life In America.
In 1982 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released the single “The Message” and Fathers of Hip Hop”, Run DMS a group of three men pioneered rap music in the 1980 ‘s. They were the first rappers who got a gold album, a platinum album, a multi- platinum album, a music video on MAT and they were the first rappers seen on TV and who were in several magazines. Since then Hip Hop inspired lots of people all over the world. It is discussed as an art form which includes not Just rap but also: the DC, the emcee, graffiti writing, and break dancing. 3.
Political Hip Hop Political Hip Hop can be used as an educational tool and make people think about what is going on in the world. The lyrics often have a political impact which is based on the issues of political economy. But they can also be seen as real-life reflections and draw attention to problems in their country. Political Lyrics can have a lot of political functions. They can stand for public social critique and political discourse. They invite the population to political participation for example: see the political issues and causes or simply go and vote.
By promoting particular courses of action they can lead to better social conditions. According to Benefited (2009) is Hip- Hop music “political” on all different kinds of levels. Politics play an important role in Hip- Hop. Already in 1988 a front man of the rap group Public Enemy said that Hip Hop is the “Black CNN”. Travis L. Goes(2) says that Hip Hop music was more political in the sass’s and sass’s and had more political meaningfulness up to the mid sass’s. After that “gangster rap” became more and more popular in the African- American society. Political rap got replaced by pornographic music videos, extreme materialism, individualism, and anti- intellectualism… “. (3) “The shift from Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” (1988) to Snoop Dog’s “Gin and Juice”,(3) was in the mid sass’s simply rhyming which was mostly about urban social conditions, being a gangster and violence. In 2008 a lot of hip hop artists stood up for Senator Barack Obama during his campaign which is widely viewed as one of the most successful presidential campaign in U. S. History.
They supported him during the election through media, song lyrics and short videos and showed that politics are important. They wanted to move the American population to vote for the first black President. The next pages will give you an overview about Obama becoming the first Hip Hop President. 4. Obama the first Hip Hop President Hip Hop music and the culture got more and more popular outside the Hip Hop community. The artists have been writing songs for a larger audience. The songs are being played in the clubs all over the world even not native speaker of English can understand what it is about.
When Hip Hop artists used Obama in their lyrics during the 2008 presidential election the whole world could listen to their music about him on the radio in the clubs or through media, like the internet. In a Youth Interview (4) Barack Obama was asked about his opinion on Hip Hop and rap in 2008. He admitted that he likes Hip Hop especially Jay Z and Kenya West and he likes the art about it but he is concerned about some lyrics where the artists Just rap about material stuff like money, cars and houses.
Also they often use the word “Niger” ND can give a lot to younger people. “It is not Just a mirror it should be a reflection”, (4) (Obama interview) reflection of life, a message that is spread through music to the younger generation. Barack Obama said that he does not think that the young generation gets their information through the New York Times. It is easier to listen to music which you like and get your information out of it. A lot of artists supported Barack Obama during his election in 2008 also Jay Z, Kenya West, Ill Wayne and Will I am.
Will I am made for example a video which you can see on Youth with several artists and celebrities singing the famous mimes We Can” slogan and also included elements of Barack Obama ‘s speech. The others made so called mistakes where they made a remix of their songs with Obama and his political afflictions. The most remixed words were “change” and “hope”. According to Travis L. Goes they should “energize unlikely black voters”(5) and identify Obama as “meaningfully black by making him an honorary member of the Hip Hop community’.
The election of Barack Obama as the first black president is an important symbol for the African- American society of America after the Civil rights movement. Some of the Hip Hop artists compare him even to Martin Luther King Jar. And Malcolm X. A vote for Obama is a vote for the important features “hope”, “change” and “believing” The society was however divided. According to Forman, Murray (2010) there were some public concerns about Senator Obama ‘s “age and relative inexperience, his lack of political pedigree, and crucially, concerns about his identity as a black man. (6) On the other site these factors were welcomed for the young voters because it was something new. Something they never had before in compare to the “standard Laotians”. He represents himself with an elegance, intellectual acumen and great rhetorical skills. “As an American of mixed race, with black and white ancestry and a foreign and domestic heritage, Obama presents a different face of American politics and a new model of 21st” (Forman, Murray 2010) Many people believed that the point of Barack Obama becoming the first black president would even reduce racism because people would have to accept a black president.
This is also one reason why Hip Hop artist wanted to help to elect the first black president. They felt honored to rite lyrics about him as the new “black hero” of the future they wanted to make Beam’s presidency important. 5. Hip Hop’s support for Obama This chapter will give you the analysis of the song text by Jay Z “My President is black” and Ill Wayne ‘s song “Barack Obama A Mill (remix)” how these two artists supported Barack Obama during his election in 2008. In their lyrics.
Jay G’s song starts with the phrase “My president is black my Maybe too” First of all he is comparing Barack Obama to his car Maybe which is also black. This is even half true because Barack Obama is half black and half white. His father is Kenya and his mother is a white Kansas. Secondly he shows in the first line his materialism which is typical for the “new hip hop of the millennium” having big cars and spending a lot of money. Obama is a person which is not comparable with a “thing” in this case a car.
In the following lines Jay Z raps about Barack Obama who is black but lives in a white lived in the White House of America. My President Is Black but his house is all white Rosa parks sat so martin Luther could walk martin Luther walked so Barack Obama could run Barack Obama ran so all the children could fly Furthermore he is comparing Obama to Martin Luther King Jar. And Rosa Parks. They were both civil rights activists. Rosa Parks was the first lady of the civil rights movement who did not give up her seat in the Montgomery bus boycott to a white passenger.
It was the first resistance against racism and a symbol which was important for the African-American population. Also Martin Luther King Jar. Is a hero for that society. So Barack Obama is the new “hero” the symbol for African-Americans which should raise them to the next stage. He is like “them” and that’s why they associate him with the words “hope” and “change” The last phrase of the citation is about children where Jay Z wants to show that Barack Obama inspired a lot of children to go for better and higher things like education for example.
Probably he raps about black children who got inspired by the president since the four phrases are about black people. All in all Jay Z is pointing out that there must be a change “you can keep yea puss I don’t want no more bush no more war no more Iraq no more white lies the president is black”. People got tired about lies of George W. Bush and the Iraq war. Barack Obama should be the new President. Conclusion While Obama is an African-American man, he is not the Lampooning-driving, handgun-toting, sandbagging boy from the hood that these lyrics frequently illustrate.
The image he had created for himself as a trustworthy, intelligent man, who would bring political and social change to the United States becomes challenged by hip-hop’s association with ideals that voters may find unclear and unappealing. This study has found that the words used to describe Obama in hip-hop lyrics are positive sounding and reflect his abilities as a leader and a powerful man. However, the lyrics in which these words are found become problematic as they associate Barack Obama with a culture and lifestyle where he simply does not belong as someone who is campaigning for the United States Presidency.
While these songs are written in strong support of Obama as a President, the lyrics do not reflect the general way of life and opinions of the potential voters, and thus the relationship between hip-hop and Obama may be problematic for individuals who support Obama as the next President. The study further established that the number of mimes Obama is mentioned in these song lyrics has little or no effect on the overall message that the artist is attempting to communicate.
The most popular words that are found in these songs are also problematic, as the lyrics contained extensive use of provocative and insensitive language. Furthermore, the songs that were analyzed make extensive referrals to stereotypical and clickd images of African-American culture. While this is very common in hip-hop music, it should not be common in songs written about Obama, as it connects his identity as a black man too problematic culture and lifestyle.
