Barack and Roll
written by 4bars
written by 4bars
First off, this shit troubles/angers/disappoints me:
And this is a lil coonish but puts a smile on my face:
This election has been the topic of discussion for months and everybody has weighed in including Hip-Hop artists from Young Jeezy to Nas. It is ironic, however, that while Nas clearly has had the more insightful lyrical career, it was Young Jeezy whose simplistic yet poignant song “My President” was no doubt the theme song of Tuesday night. Juxtaposing the nation’s first black president (the first non-white leader of a majority white country in history apparently) with the color of his rims will forever go down as one of the shake your head moments that you just gotta live with. It’s akin to a basketball player taking a HORRIFIC shot, yet it goes in.
While I’m as excited as everybody else, I expected Obama to win. A lot of people were overwhelmed with the incredible reality that a black man was voted into the highest office in the land, I was more relieved. I think you could even see it in Barack during his speech. He was calm yet strong, recognizing that the hard work has only just begun. Now I’ve talked politics for the past few lines but my question is this: what now? I’m interested to hear the songs that artists will put out but what about all the hard work that lies ahead? What is the new “goal”? What is the new “topic”? I know this is more of a social question, but as we see each day, Hip-Hop plays a pivotal role in our society. What effect will all this have on the music and in turn the culture?
2 comments:
Wow. That Gucci joint was beyond horrible. I'm convinced he's never written a rap in his life on paper, in his head, or otherwise.
I think a lot can be said for simplicity. It may be blasphemy to compare the Jeezy and Pac, but Pac was aware of when simple language was best for a song. Sometimes the complex lyricism and quick paced flow doesn't capture the moment properly. Simple words and relatability get the job done from time to time, and Jeezy did that with his anthem.
As for what's next, good question. I hope rappers don't drop any rhymes about his cabinet selections. I can't even begin to speculate. We shall see.
Word. It will be interesting to see what kinds of songs come out of the Hip-Hop community now? Will the same level of activism and call to public service still be around? It's too early to tell because people are still in shock/overwhelmed/ in disbelief. We need a few months to pass to see how it shakes out.
I hope Obama's victory was the start of something new rather than the end of something old.
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