Saturday, January 24, 2009

Can Obama CHANGE Hip-Hop?





The dust has finally settled and Barack Obama is officially the 44th President of the United States. People all around the world have been waiting for this historic moment, especially the hip-hop community. President Obama (that feels good to say! lol.) has had the support of the hip-hop community since the early stages of his campaign. His movement and theme of CHANGE has been infused into hip-hop culture. It can be seen throughout the country how the hip-hop community embraced and supported his campaign. You hear his name in songs, see his name and face on t-shirts, jeans, shoes, hats, earrings, chains, party flyers, cell phones, ipods (you get the point). All throughout the campaign Obama spoke about CHANGE so that he is in office is hip-hop going to CHANGE? The hip-hop community is often criticized for promoting sex, violence, disrespecting women and drugs. The image of Barack Obama and his family is the complete opposite of all those things I just mentioned. The leader of the free world is an educated Black man married to an educated black woman and are raising their children "together". Now that the hip-hop community has a model to look to will they CHANGE? Will men treat women as equals? be faithful to them? take care of their children? provide a positive environment for their families and communities? Will women be responsible mothers? stop degrading themselves? not present themselves as objects? be faithful? be confident in their abilities?
These are all questions that remain to be answered. I believe that President Obama and his family will influence many people to be more responsible and set positive examples for those around them but we all know that there are some things that will never CHANGE...

1 comment:

  1. this is a very direct and to the point view coming from the writer and I think now if anytime is the time for change, african Americans will be looked at in a different light now but we as African American have to live up to the expectation that our President has set for us.. Will this drastic change take a major effect on hip-hop in a positive way I think potentially it can but who will stand up first for the change and not be scare to be bashed for being postive with reason...

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