Politicians and Hip hop artists share a lengthy history of back-and-forth. One side is heavily curated, the other is purposefully provocative, but this unlikely pairing unites to create a powerful marketing force.
Donald Trump is a great example to use. As you can see in the chart below, for the past three decades he has received free rap endorsements before his candidacy in 2016.
Early rap imagery represented urban devastation facing Black Americans in the Bronx. As Hip hop became mainstream, the themes developed into wealth, power and sex.
“It stopped being about shedding light on your situation. But for the core audience purchasing Hip hop, for the most part, it’s aspirational.” — Jay Z
Rappers respected Trump’s power, while Trump respected their ‘come-up’ and indulgent lifestyle. He presented Eminem with an MTV award in 2004 in a presidential-style delivery which is eerily foreshadowing.
Donald Trump Says He Would Vote for Eminem at the Shady National Convention | MTV News
Donald Trump gives Eminem a rousing endorsement at the 2004 National Shady Convention.#MTVNews MTV #DonaldTrump #EminemSubscribe to MTV News: https://goo.gl/…
Since 2016 many rappers have turned on Trump, including Eminem, who released his Revival album in 2016 featuring a Trump diss-track. However, it is widely dubbed as Eminem’s weak attempt to maintain cultural relevance. But in itself, this is an example of how rappers commonly wield outrageous lyrics and political drama as a clout-generating marketing tool.
Meanwhile, we can see a different treatment of Hillary Clinton. She is perpetually referenced as the subject of sexual objectification: both pre and post-candidacy. The themes are mostly personal, usually referencing her infamous marriage. Misogyny, unfortunately, is not a stranger in politics and Hip hop. Hillary was described with heavily gendered words like ‘abrasive’, ‘aggressive’ and ‘shrill’ from her critics. Read the chart below to explore more.
Like Trump, Hillary Clinton has retained an undeniable presence in both political and cultural arenas. Hillary made an evident, albeit cringe, attempt to engage in Hip hop culture. Obama made Hip hop culturally relevant in political discourse and in Black communities. Obama mentioned Lil’ Wayne in a speech and invited rappers like Common to perform in the White House. Meanwhile, Hillary was making a plain and obvious attempt to connect to minority voters post-Obama administration.
Jay Z performed at Hillary Clinton’s 2016 rally event. He performed “FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt” and “Dirt off Your Shoulder” which contained a high level of profanity. Trump fired back at his own rally with “[Jay Z’s] language was so filthy that it made me like the most clean-cut human being on earth.”
Trump had no issue associating with rappers in the past, however now he now spars with some rappers to leverage his candidacy and promote his policies. Which could be seen as comparable to Eminem’s attempt to leverage his brand and promote his album.
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Rappers will use Trump to ignite their own egos. In Jeezy’s 2011 song ‘Trump’ he says “Richest n—- in my hood; call me Donald Trump”, using positive sentiments about Trump’s money to compare his self-defined importance. Trump doesn’t appreciate this long-running tradition of referencing.
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What can be learnt before the upcoming 2020 US election?
It’s evidently very important to play the media game in US politics. As the past shows,’quieter’ candidates like Bernie Sanders and Mike Huckabee get left behind.
