11-4-08

Change Goin’ Come (A lil’ Stream of Consciousness)
written by JusHH

Now you know Jus Double couldn’t let this week go by without writing about our new President, Barack Hussein Obama. I’m not going to bore you with anecdotes about how important it is to me. Instead, I’ll talk about this historic event from the eyes of Hip-Hop. Change has become the primary theme of Obama’s election and now his Presidency and change can accurately define Hip-Hop’s new role in this country.

First off, Obama getting elected is the single greatest achievement of any black man in the history of this country. He is living proof that there is no obstacle too great. Hip-Hop was created in the depths of social inequality and throughout its history, rappers have unapologetically accused America (read: white people) of holding them back. However, its going to be hard to justify what the white man isn’t doing for you when the most powerful man in this country is black. This means that you, Dead Prez will have to find something else to bitch about. Did everything get magically equal on November 5th? No, but the solution is more in our hands than it is theirs.

This leads me to my next point. Politically, Hip-Hop mobilized more during this election than it has for the past 20 years. I have never seen more artists and executives get engaged and encourage others to do the same. Jay-Z not only donated money, he donated “Obama Themed” merchandise to be sold for the campaign, recorded songs, made announcements at concerts and even went to swing states to encourage people to vote. T.I. and 50 Cent both fought for their legal right to vote on November 4th. I saw rappers who never talked about anything but money, guns and drugs, get evangelical when it came to talking about Obama. The result was thousands and thousands of people who identify with Hip-Hop registered to vote for the first time and was proud to make history. Make no mistake about it; Hip-Hop was one of the main reasons why Obama is now our President. The two major groups that historically never voted, was young people and minorities and they came out and voted overwhelmingly for Obama. It’s no coincidence that those are the two main demographics that make up the Hip-Hop community. This proves that Hip-Hop has the power to make real change in this country.

This is no small feat. We all must see this as an opportunity to change the role that Hip-Hop plays in this country. Hip-Hop has to be more than just the voice for the voiceless – it needs to be the remedy, the way out. If Hip-Hop can help elect the first black President, then there is nothing that we can’t do.

“Lick a shot for Barack Obama, change goin’ come”