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Friday, August 17, 2007

Is He Black Enough Now?

Barack Obama, or "B-Rock", is starting to get name dropped in hip-hop music.

Unfortunately, CNN is probably right that if Obama gets identified with hip-hop music, his opponents in the fall will try to use it as a wedge issue against him. This is true despite the fact that Obama has spoken of the need for rappers to take responsibility for their lyrics. And it's true because, by and large, the critique of rap is not quite bogus, but wildly overstated. There is a lot of racial coding going on in the White suspicion of rap music, which is unfortunate, because good hip-hop can be beautiful, illuminating, and politically conscious in a way few other musical genres are. And I say that as someone who is not, generally speaking, a fan.

Oh, and lest you think this post doesn't adequately link to the title:
Both Common and [Talib] Kweli [both rappers] bristled at one question that Obama's faced at recent presidential forums and debates: whether the candidate is "black enough."
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"It's a horrible question," Kweli said. "It's very divisive. It divides us. Obviously that man is black. I think it's utterly ridiculous."

Common laughed and said, "He looks black to me."

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:16 PM

    And for that very reason, either being Black or not Black enough, he won't be elected.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:57 PM

    Rock on Senator Obama!! We need you ---

    NO ON HILLARY!

    Obama or Edwards all---the---way!

    Marcus

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:00 AM

    My favorite conscious hip-hoppers, check 'em out:

    Blue Scholars
    Brother Ali
    Welfare Poets
    True Dialect
    Edo G
    Rebel Diaz

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous4:36 PM

    Black enough? Not culturally. If he was he would be embracing
    Bros. Jackson and Sharpton instead of ignoring them and vice versa.
    His name rhymes as well as a gunshot going off. Oh puhleez. Would he really want to repeat this kind of hogwash from the hiphop rapcrap squad? He has NOTHING in common with these people except his color. Period.
    He will never occupy the white house.
    He is NOT electable. the vote you cast will be wasted.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous7:47 AM

    Yeah that's what a political candidate needs, an endorsement from the rap industry, the most low culture degenerate form of music ever created. If we Democrats are to take back the White House we need to stay far away from the pathetic and childish ramblings of the rap culture.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous8:48 AM

    did you watch the iowa debates this morning? well....that speaks volumes about how much YOU care about WHO prevails as the democratic nomination. obama did a lot of uh uh uh stuttering before speaking. ready to speak? naaa baby...i need some time to make sure my speak matches what YOU want to hear. what a joke. he is having a great time on the road but he will not finish, that is, unless he LOVES disappointment. his biggest accomplishment: quitting smoking.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can't even FATHOM Barack Obama representing the politics of the Hip Hop community. I just don't think most of those involved in Hip Hop as being about corporate politics.

    Jared Ball seems much more in tune with Hip Hop to me.

    Jared Ball for President - Green Party

    ReplyDelete