By Eric Dama
A couple days ago, I was searching the Internet for songs by one of my favorites rappers, the artist known as Ludacris. Amid the songs about fancy cars, attractive women and big-screen TVs, I came across a title that caught my attention. The song was titled, “Obama is Here,” and its lyrics contained endorsements for presidential nominee Barack Obama, as well as disparaging, yet irrelevant slights against fellow presidential nominee John McCain and former Obama rival Sen. Hilary Clinton.
While I was listening, one verse in particular caused me to stop and scoff, and wonder what this election is really about. Here is the verse:
The threats ain’t fazing us, the nooses or the jokes
So get off your a**, black people, it’s time to get out and vote!
Now, I am in no way associating Ludacris or the African-American community with the Obama campaign. However, it struck me as odd, and quite frankly ignorant, that this rapper would call the entire African-American community to vote for Obama. Nowhere in his song does the hip-hop star present a crdible reason to vote for Obama, much less a sentence that would lead me to believe he is in any way informed on the subject of this year’s election.
That verse gave me cause for concern: There may be a large mass of relatively uninformed voters whose votes are being swayed by a public figure who tells them radical change is necessary. I’m not talking specifically about African-Americans. This can include college students, farmers, union workers, Joe the Plumber, whoever. And I’m not saying that people are wrong in voting for Obama. I don’t know who the better candidate is.
My only point is that listening to this song reinforces my belief that voters should be as knowledgeable as possible about the candidates and issues. If this election is really as important as everyone says it is, given the current state of affairs, then that means being an informed voter is equally as imperative.
Eric Dama is a sophomore from Dallas who covers the men’s basketball beat and writes a weekly column for the Oklahoma Daily.
October 30th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Certainly everyone should be as informed as possible before heading into that voting booth to exercise the most precious of our freedoms.
I see the verse you highlighted as a call to African Americans to remember their past and the injustice they have faced for more than 100 years.
He is calling them to the cause because African Americans have nearly always underperformed on election day. He is pleading with them to register, get active and vote.
Perhaps he thinks by his race doing that they may finally achieve another giagantic step toward true freedom.
Finally, I think all “political” songs are designed to motivate strictly on emotion.
My all-time favorite…. “Tin Soldiers and Nixon coming. We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming. Four dead in Ohio.”
That song helped galvanize a generation against an unjust war being perpetrated on false pretenses.
Sound familiar?
October 30th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Eric, Eric, Eric… You tiptoed around the fact, but you never stepped right on it. I know you’re trying to be all “Politically Correct”, so, please, allow ME.
OBAMA would not even be the Democrat’s Nominee, if he were a WHITE man. But since he is NOT a WHITE man… The Liberal Media has not hung him out to dry. ( Like they SHOULD!) And the Liberal Citizens, have simply turned blind eyes and deaf ears, to so many FACTS, that WOULD destroy ANY other Candidate.
If any WHITE man, was known, to even associate with; Terrorists, Anti American Preachers and Anti American Groups, they would be crucified, by the afore mentioned, Liberal Media. MY GOD! WHITE men, get tortured, by the Media, and have been forced, from Political Races, for simply committing adultry! Yet ALL of Obama’s unethical actions, (Which are a LOT worse, than adultry.) are kept neatly in a closet!
And the media, has forever continued, to speculate, how many WHITE voters, will refuse to vote, for Obama, simply due to his skin color. (And they call THESE people, “RACIST”.)
But I have yet, to see a study, pertaining to; how many BLACKS… WILL VOTE FOR OBAMA… Strictly because of his skin color. (And they say THESE people are showing “SOLIDARITY”!)
Double standards and double talk are alive and well, among the Bleeding Heart Liberals!