Hip-Hop and Politics

   Music artists, just like your average american, have political views too. Rappers especially seem to get the most notice while making political statements. This may be because Hip-Hop artists have gained a reputation for being bold, and sometimes controversial, in social and economic issues. With the incredibly tense 2016 presidential election, the past year has been no exception.
   The Compton MC known as YG took a very bold route himself, releasing the song "FDT". The entire song criticizes Donald Trump, as well as calling the then presidential candidate expletives and other insults. This may have been the biggest political movement in the Hip-Hop industry, but others did not fail to go unmentioned. A wave of rap artists took to twitter to share their beliefs with  "#MakeAmericaGreatAgain" and "#ImWithHer". They also flooded social media timelines with pictures of the, visiting Barack Obama on his last day in office. After Donald Trump won presidency, Macklemore released the song, "Wednesday Morning" sharing his displease with the results. The Seattle rapper described the elections wit lyrics such as, "Bad taste in my mouth" and  "Will my girl be afraid of the land of the brave?" Most recently, at the 59th annual Grammy Awards, the group A Tribe Called Quest did a highly political performance. One of the songs they performed was "We The People", one of the better known songs on their most recent album. The song is highly political and one of the members, known as Q-Tip, sings the chorus explaining he believes that the country is racist, homophobic, and show no support for the poor. Sharing certain beliefs can be very risky because maybe some of their fans disagree with them and stop listening to their music. Politics is definitely an easy way to divide and can hurt a fan base. This has always been a questionable thing to do but we are starting to see more and more of it. Some people would say artists should keep out of politics, that way everyone stays happy and can enjoy their music. Others think it's important for artists to use their voices to share their beliefs and to influence listeners. The way i see it, artists should talk about what they want to talk about. That's the beauty of art, the ability to share your reality to other people. Artists shouldn't be disrespected for being human and having thoughts and and wanting to share their ideas on how we can better the world. A lot of my favorite artists have completely different views than me but instead of bashing them and never listening to them again i applaud them for their bravery and ability use their voice. They could hurt their fan base drastically but they'd rather stay true to themselves and the art they create. No one can tell you what see or what you should believe. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you should look down on the for it. Should rappers get involved with politics, or should they stay in their own lane?