Hip Hop Congress

Barack Obama is a civil rights advocate, a regional leader for social justice, a national politician and presidential nominee for the Democratic ticket. He has professed to listening to Jay-Z, has been seen politicking with Ludacris and adopted a theme song penned by Will.I.Am. His relationship to Hip Hop could best be described as “Love-Hate.” He admits he loves Hip Hop buts hates when anybody else sees them together.

I myself have a love-hate relationship with Barack Obama. I love the idea of Obama has President and hate the fact that he is an establishment candidate. I love the fact that conservatives try to label him a “civil rights leader” to scare away potential conservative white voters but I hate the fact that it is perhaps an erroneous label.

I have never heard Obama speak on civil rights issues such as the extreme black and brown incarceration rate, the exploitation of illegal immigrants or the gross misrepresentation of disenfranchised and underrepresented communities in the media. I have never heard him take a stance on reparations.

Obama says that he is vying for the highest office to make a difference in the lives of all United States citizens, which I find to be an honorable and respectable goal. But what has he done for Hip Hop lately or ever to deserve such a dutiful following? Considering the way in which we have supported his efforts, celebrated his victories and endorsed his nomination, you would think that we would have something a little more solid to cite for example as to why our community is so elated to see him in this election.

Even I have admitted and still concede that his candidacy is a ground breaking feat showcasing the immense impact that the Hip Hop generation has had on American hegemony and our social psychology.

He is not a revolutionary and his political record is reflective of that. Cynthia McKinney understands, responds to and addresses our communities issues in a sincere and pro-active manner. She is the best person to represent our culture and we should be 100 enough to state this for the record. Obama and McCain should not be the only choices we consider. In the past we have railed against a two-party system. Every other election we claim to be choosing the lesser of two evils, but this election, we have stayed collectively silent, casting disdain over those who refuse to co-sign Obama’s bid from the gate. I was once guilty of this and am now being received with disappointment and frustration for my change of heart.

I am all for Obama in the White House. But let us keep it real as we claim we do in Hip Hop. Let us say that we are voting for Obama because we have come to accept that America is a two-party system that we have to navigate through in order to create substantial change. And while I find that a sobering reality I am not surprised that the elder statesmen of this culture have succumbed to the very system that they once rocked the mic, b-boyed, bombed and put the needle to the record to rage against.

While the baby booming generation told us to free our minds to multi-culturalism, we did it and like our fathers and mothers we will once again conform in certain ways and watch our children kill themselves trying to fulfill our progressive fantasies. We have planted the seeds for a multi-party political system and for an economic system that is fair and moral, however, as history dictates it will be our children who push through the dirt to see the light of those dreams.

I can accept that reality. It’s a multi-generational truth. But lets just be honest about it.

–
Krista Keating
Executive Administrator, Hip Hop Congress-National
Program Director, The Women’s Project