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Ludacris' song points to dilemma for Obama
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 | Obama condemns Ludacris song July 30: The Barack Obama campaign condemns a song by rapper Ludacris that celebrates the Democratic presidential candidate and attacks John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Hardball |
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Hip-hop's effect
McWhorter, who is an Obama supporter, said the song — and Obama's reaction to it — should come as no surprise. Rappers are supposed to be clever and confrontational, which is why the song is not likely to be on voters' minds this fall.
"I'm not aware of hip-hop music affecting any election so far, and I don't think that this is going to be one, either," McWhorter said.
Obama has spoken out against some of hip-hop's stars before, but praised Ludacris and hip-hop icon Jay-Z as "great talents and great businessmen" in a recent Rolling Stone interview.
"There's no doubt that hip-hop culture moves our young people powerfully. And some of it is not just a reflection of reality," he told Vibe magazine last August. "It also creates reality. I think that if all our kids see is a glorification of materialism and bling and casual sex and kids are never seeing themselves reflected as hitting the books and being responsible and delaying gratification, then they are getting an unrealistic picture of what the world is like."
Critical territory
Some may remember what has happened when a politician has stepped into such critical territory before.
In 1992, then-Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton accused the hip-hop artist Sister Souljah of inciting violence against whites. Some black leaders criticized Clinton, but by staying above the fray, he galvanized his image as a politician who refused to pander
Then again, Obama also has appeared to have embraced some of hip-hop's cultural touchstones.
During the primaries, hip-hoppers cheered Obama's brush of the shoulder at one campaign appearance — a subtle reference Jay-Z — and again when he and wife, Michelle, shared a fist bump on the night in June when he became the apparent Democratic nominee for president. Both were silent nods to the black community, and especially the hip-hop generation.
Bakari Kitwana, who co-edited the upcoming "Let's Get Free: Strategies for Organizing the Hip-Hop Voting Bloc" with Johnson, said the hip-hop community's celebration over Obama's candidacy highlights a "disturbing reality" for some as artists like Ludacris become emboldened.
"Before, a lot of the songs about Barack were supporting his campaign," Kitwana said. "This song is different in that it almost claims the victory. That's scary for some people who don't want to see that happen."
For young voters, the controversy could pull them deeper into the mire of mainstream electoral politics, Kitwana said, causing them to look more critically at the process. But many aren't even engaged in such conversations, said Johnson.
"There is a community of people who aren't watching CNN or reading The Huffington Post," Johnson said. "The question is, 'Does this hurt him with who?'"
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