Hip Hop Congress

Thanks to Tamara for reaching out!

For Obama, celebrity endorsements can boost or back-fire

By Tamara E. Holmes
August 7, 2008 — With such high-profile hip-hop celebrities as Russell Simmons, Sean Combs, and Jay-Z publicly supporting Sen. Barack Obama, many political watchers and hip-hop activists expect the appeal of a black presidential candidate to inspire a higher-than-average turnout among hip-hop supporters. But while celebrity endorsements can give Obama a boost, they also have the power to hurt him, particularly if a celebrity attracts controversy.

“The hip-hop community can play a huge roll in the 2008 election,” says Shamako Noble, president of the Hip Hop Congress, an organization that encourages social, economic, and political involvement among hip-hop generation youth. “Obviously Barack Obama is the candidate that the hip-hop community and the black community relates to the most,” says Noble. “We’re finding that there are a lot of people who are very excited about the possibility of the senator as a candidate.”

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