Barack Obama And Hip-Hop: Does The Support Of Jay-Z, Nas, T.I. Hurt His Chances?Rappers need to be super quiet on Barack,’ Scarface says, or critics will ’smash on him because of what somebody else said.

Hes on fire in the streets. Kids and adults alike are wearing bootleg T-shirts emblazoned with his face and phrases. Approximately 95 percent of the hip-hop community is singing his praises. And yet his appeal is just as strong in other parts of the country and the world: His remarks resonate from Chicago to Compton, from Brooklyn’s Marcy projects to Marseille, France.

In a scenario that would have been nearly impossible to imagine four years ago, we’re talking about the Democratic candidate for president of the United States.

“He’s gonna win,” LL Cool J told MTV News matter of factly, as if the outcome of this fall’s presidential election were already a foregone conclusion. “We need to support Barack Obama and his quest for the Oval Office.”

“What Obama represents is, we as a people are a part of the American Dream,” Jay-Z - who displayed a giant photo of Obama onstage during his recent Heart of the City Tour with Mary J. Blige - told Vibe recently. “The message is for a kid from in Marcy projects right now to say, ‘Maybe I can be the president.’ ”

“I think Barack can help cure the country,” Nas, who recently released a song called “Black President,” told MTV News earlier this year. “Not just for us blacks, but also with all Americans. I think there’s so much our president can do. Obama seems like a human being - I say that because a lot of presidents don’t seem like human beings, they seem like straight-up businessmen who care about nothing but the business.”

LL Cool J, Jay and Nas are just three members of what may be Obama’s most vocal group of cheerleaders: the hip-hop community. Outkast’s Big Boi recently released a video for his song “Sumthin’s Gotta Give” that depicts himself, Mary J. Blige and John Legend working in an Obama campaign office. Kanye West recently teamed up with Jay - who calls himself “the ‘hood’s Barack” on his “A Billi” freestyle - for an Obama-boosting track called “Jockin’ Jay-Z.”

Rappers from T.I. to Common to Young Jeezy to first-time voter Soulja Boy Tell’em have spoken out for him. We’ve heard a myriad of pro-Barack songs, we’ve seen the release of Obama-themed mixtapes, and Ludacris - one of the few major rappers who has met Obama - recently did a mixtape freestyle about the candidate that probably had more impact than he’d intended.
“We’re a small part of it, but we’re showing our support to show that we are aware of what’s going on and where it’s going,” said Young Jeezy, whose forthcoming LP features a song called “My President.” “We really want change. We really need it. It’s not the same no more.

“I’m not endorsing the dude because he’s black,” he continued. “Listen to what he’s saying: He’s saying what I wanna hear, just like my favorite rapper. If an MC is saying what I wanna hear, I’mma go buy his album. If[a candidate is saying what I wanna hear, I'mma go vote for him. I can vote, by the way. Watch me, I'm going to register to vote."

Yet hip-hop's embrace is a mixed blessing - politically, anyway - for the candidate, as the media firestorm over Ludacris' mixtape freestyle about Obama showed dramatically. Luda's lyrical jabs at Hillary Clinton, John McCain and George Bush were vilified by some media outlets, leading Obama's camp to issue a statement saying Luda "should be ashamed" of his words. (Ludacris had no comment on the situation when contacted by MTV News.)

The controversy put a long-simmering question into bold relief: Can hip-hop support Obama without hurting his campaign?

Cleaner-cut entertainers such as Oprah Winfrey and Usher have not only publicly expressed their support for Obama, but have appeared by his side to shake hands, take photos and/or address large crowds. Yet edgier artists, especially most current rappers, haven't been seen anywhere near him. (Ironically, presumptive Republican candidate John McCain appeared onstage next to Jeezy on national television and shook his hand).

In fact, the most prominent acknowledgement of hip-hop's involvement in the Obama campaign came via the statement Obama's press rep sent out in answer to the Ludacris episode - although he has given some carefully measured props to Jay-Z and Kanye West, saying he likes their music, and of course made a subtle Jay-Z reference about treating haters' comments like "dirt off your shoulder" in a speech during the primaries.

"I think the first thing the hip-hop community has to do is let the man become president," Ice Cube opined. "They gotta work in other ways to get him in the White House. It's not really about doing a song right now. He has to separate himself from that stuff; he's in a political race. Everybody should kick back for a minute, see what happens in November. If he becomes president, he wouldn't have to separate himself as much from some of these statements. Because Obama can't come as hard-core as Ludacris as far as his message right now - he can't do that. Us rappers might have to hold our tongues for a few months."

"Rappers need to be quiet, super quiet on Barack," Scarface agreed. "All it takes is for a mutha----er getting out there being real [ghetto] and people will be like, ‘We don’t wanna f— with Obama’; they’ll wanna smash on him because of what somebody else said. [Someone] speaks for himself and its Barack’s fault? What did Luda say - that’s Barack’s fault? Is it Barack’s fault what I’m saying? I don’t wanna be the reason he don’t get the presidency!”

Chamillionaire took a slightly softer stance on the situation. “It’s cool to make a couple comments, but be careful about what you say because they’re gonna try to pin it towards him,” he said. “We know it’s so much tension around politics right now, they’re trying to take him down. Maybe everybody needs to chill out a little bit. I’m not sure how much Barack mixtapes are helping him. I don’t think no person is doing a mixtape addressing Barack’s political views.

“As far as the Ludacris situation,” he continued, “I don’t think Luda or anybody ever thought it would be that big. I heard the freestyle the minute it came out and, in his defense, that’s what people do on the mixtape circuit: I’ve put out multiple mixtapes where I might not actually feel a certain way about somebody but I’ll say a punch line to give them that shock value. It’s nothing new to the mixtape circuit. I don’t think he really wants McCain in a wheelchair the lyric reads: ‘McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed, it’s just a freestyle thing. It was crazy they took it that big.”

We at Hip Hop Spy dont endorse anyone for president. We are smarter than the average American who walks around thinking his vote counts or thinking that Obama can actually change something in the hood. Improving your life situation comes from within not from what the Government gives you or does for you. So our stance on Obama is it doesnt matter to us as we know the election is decided by the Illumanati. If you are not familiar with the Illumanati then you need to educate yourself on what really goes on behind politics not what the media feeds you,because all of the media that matters is controlled by the Illumanati as well. Your vote doesnt matter and whoever goes to the whitehouse it is because the Illumanti put them there and dont get it confused they dont work for you they work for the Illumanati.