Hip Hop & Obama Reader

Before the presidential candidacy and election of Barak Obama, hip hop was clearly in trouble. Nas's 2006 album, Hip Hop is Dead, seemed to articulate the growing concern among many performers, fans, and academics that nihilistic gangsterism and a lack of musical creativity were eclipsing three decades of hip hop's creative innovation, as well as its dedication to counter-hegemonic movements and discourse. On the eve of Obama's election, many pondered whether the first African American president might trigger a renaissance of socially conscious lyrics and creativity. The "Obamafication of rap" thesis, which anticipated such a renaissance, was presented by Reverend Al Sharpton, the rapper Common, and by a number of leading hip hop scholars. These predictions were not simply responses to the President's willingness to embrace hip hop in his campaign, but to hip hop's clear desire to embrace him as well. By the time Obama took office, the dominant narrative declared that America's first black president would change hip hop for the better and bring a gravely ill cultural movement back to life. The Hip Hop & Obama Reader offers the first systematic, scholarly analysis of the complex relationship between Obama and hip hop. Over the course of 18 chapters, scholars from a diverse range of disciplinary backgrounds offer new perspectives on hip hop's relationship with political mobilization, campaign branding, and voter turn-out, paying special attention to the relevancy of hip hop-based political organizations at the local, national, and international levels. Inviting readers to reassess how the historical narrative of Obama's presidency continues to be shaped by the voice of hip hop and, conversely, how the voice of hip hop itself has been shaped by Obama, The Hip Hop & Obama Reader will speak to a broad audience of both scholars and fans of hip hop, as well as those interested in black studies and American studies.