A Letter to the President, From Hip-Hop

President Barack Hussein Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President Barack Hussein Obama,

Where do I begin? Well, first and foremost congratulations on your presidency! It's been a long road to success with a dedicated grind, and for that I commend you. Victory is won and history has been made! You know, I'm not usually one to toot my own horn but I played a major role in your campaign. As far as your young urban America voters are concerned, I don't think you would've persuaded them without my influence. Don't get me wrong: you're an extremely charismatic guy, but I believe it was the intellect and passion of my people who got the attention you needed from Generation Y. Just look at who I had campaigning for you -- Jay-Z, P.Diddy, Nas, T.I, Young Jeezy, Big Boi -- I could go on, Mr. President, but I just want you to know how much I care for you. I know that a few of my folks got a little carried away with the support they were offering and you had to distance yourself from me. I took it personal initially but then I realized why you did it. I realized that too much of me would've been a hindrance to your success. All of that is behind me now, but I do want to apologize on behalf of those artists that were a bit over the top. They didn't mean anything negative by it. They just got excited; you made history!

I have to admit though you are one stand-up guy! You showed your appreciation and gratitude for me by allowing us to perform at your inaugural ball. I can't even explain how that felt to be there for the first time. To be apart of something that historic is absolutely surreal. It amazes me every time I think of that night. But what boggles the mind even more is that I've watched you grow. We've crossed paths a few times before, but there is one time in particular that did it for me. It was the first date with you and your lovely wife, Michelle. The two of you went to see Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing. I was there; I wonder if you remember? I was blasting through Radio Raheem's speakers -- Public Enemy's "Fight The Power." Our chemistry has continued to bond us ever since.

I've had to deal with a lot of issues over the past year. My brother and sister -- Neo-Soul and Pop -- are envious of our relationship. I hear about it constantly, but I take a page from your book and brush it off my shoulders (which is a page you took from my book, written by Jay-Z). I ignore it for the most part, although Neo keeps hinting towards some type of connection between himself and the First Lady. But never mind them. There are more important matters at hand. During the latter part of my existence, inhabitants of the inner-city and inquisitive minds of the suburbs have looked up to me and honored me. I have artists who sold millions of records, and drove expensive foreign cars, who became the definition of cool to this generation. However, you have changed that Mr. President. Now, you are that new face of cool. True, I continued to be adored, but people have deducted money from my sales and invested in your memorabilia. I can't say I enjoy it, but at the same time I know that this is the beginning of a new age. Its the start of change! There are no more excuses of: "I'm a black man, I can't get anywhere in America." Those days are long gone thanks to you.

So now here's the biggest question and perhaps the most important one: "Can Hip-Hop change?" Of course I can! But it's going to take some effort from the both of us. You know, you said something deep in an interview once, "Hip-Hop is not just a mirror of what is, it should also be a reflection of what can be." That spoke volumes to me. I can work with my people to clean up our act, but you have to understand that poverty still exists in America. That young aspiring artist who lives in the projects and wakes up into welfare and drugs everyday is writing raps about what he's living. I'm not condoning my "gangster" image I'm just saying in order to change it, we must work together to change how these people are living. Like you said I'm a ''mirror of what is.'' It's going to take some time but we have at least four years to get it right!

All in all Mr. President, I'm just writing you a letter of endearment. I'm letting you know that I'll be here for your current term and your next. If our country's security alert level reaches "Code Red" (and hopefully it won't!), I'll be there. When Sasha and Malia go to their junior and senior proms, I'll be there. All I'm asking is for you to believe in me. Work with me to make things better on my end, and help me make a change in my content. Its been a bittersweet journey getting here, so while were here lets enjoy it. We both have a lot of work ahead of us and a lot of goals to accomplish, but together we'll make it! Just one last thing I want to throw out there for you. I hope you get elected to a second term -- if that's your desire -- but when this four years is over and if you decide not to run again, I'll have an executive position at one of my labels waiting for you. But hey, it's just an idea. I wish you much continued success, and if you ever need me.....you know where to find me.

Yours Truly,
Hip-Hop
"since 1973"

P.S. We really have to work on the whole "White House" thing. Maybe you can rename it to..."The Home of Change". H.O.C. for short. Tell you what; just have your people call my people.

Comments

[Deanoj4]

Nice, where are the new 'Huxtables?' I'm tired of the Tyler Perry-esque characters.

[MontanaMack]

I too have tired of Tyler Perry's particular brand of chick-'n-biscuit, pandering-to-stereotype humor. More than not he seems to be constantly and consistently saying, "It's okay to be an African-American suffering from obesity, hypertension, diabetes and heart-disease so long as you're funny in low-brow way." Never thought I'd see the day when "Good Times" looked like Shakespeare In The Park.

[MontanaMack]

Let's not confuse a subject that is already confusing. Hip-Hop is a broader musical genre than Rap which is a sub-set of Hip-Hop and borrows from and morphs in and out of Hip-Hop, e.g., The Black Eyed Peas embraced and embodied the Hip-Hop musical style while Run-DMC embraced and embodied the Rap sub-set. To confuse the two as one is much akin to saying the Jazz of John Coltrane is the Jazz of Weather Report; yes, they belong to the same family, but they are more cousins than brothers. The problem with this article is it is short on history and long on wind. Yes, we must pay homage to those who began the Hip-Hop style out of the ghettos of New York City and New Jersey, but we also owe a great debt of thanks to one who has long been ignored, namely Gil Scott Heron--the man who gave us the powerful and long-standing phrase "The revolution will not be televised" (of course, decades later the revolution WAS actually televised with Barak H. Obama taking the Oath of Office of The President of the United States.) Unfortunately, the abundant rap-style poetic genius of Gil Scott Heron--the genius of his words which molded a powerful vision--are lost on a generation of rappers whose anger with inner-city life devolved into self-abusive, self-absorbed "lyrics" demeaning women, praising violence and worshipping greed.

[Barry Michael Cooper - Huffpost Blogger]

@ Montana Mack: I think the only one confused might be...you, judging by your winded, pedantic response. This was a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek love letter from Hip Hop to President Barack Obama. Period. Not a Kantian moral/historical discourse, not a Sartre-like dissection of the existential nature of Hip Hop. Indeed, Gil Scott-Heron was a precursor to MC's like KRS-One, Chuck D, and even Common and Lupe Fiasco. But what concerns me about those who try to repiece Hip Hop into the construct of their own revisionist history (which also exposes their lack of true Hip Hop history), it usually winds up being a nonsensical jigsaw. I was born and bred in New York, and can tell you the difference between a Hip Hop disco hosted by Kool DJ Herc and Coke La Rock at the Black Door on Gun Hill Road, and a "Freak-a-Thon" hosted by DJ Hollywood and Eddie Cheeba at Smalls Paradise in Harlem. None of the aforementioned participants were paying homage to Gil or The Last Poets: it was MFSB and "Love Is The Message". Those initial soirees were not the outgrowth of anger of living in the ghetto. It was a celebration of the neighborhood and a means to have a good time, when folks didn't have enough money to see Teddy Pendergrass or The Isley Brothers @ Madison Square Garden. Sometimes a love letter to the President, is just that. Not Hip Hop Tolstoy.

[papapj]

'Scuse me, Barry...But it would be remiss, methinks not to mention the influence that reggae and the art of 'toasting' had on modern day rap. Reggae starts like U-Roy and King Tubby were legion in the basements of New York and London before rap was even heard of and Jamaican immigrants on both sides of the pond and their offspring sanitized and somewhat anglicized the message of raw urban critique to the masses.....check it out...

http://www.jamaicans.com/music/articles_reggae/when-did-reggae-become-ra.shtml

Cultural appropriation?...naah! We all came off the same boat, bro....

[Ohioan730]

Very interesting blog. Its so weird to know that hip-hop has been around more than 30 years. When you listen to songs such as 'I Used to Love H.E.R.", you do feel as if hip-hop is a living entity. Like a friend you grew up with.

The soundtrack of my life is hip-hop. It didn't guide the way my life turned out. In fact, my life and my circumstances as a poor child in the ghetto is what influenced hip-hop. Young people were dying by the hundreds and we were all very scared kids and angry at something we didn't understand. All we had other than hip-hop to express our fear was some Spike, Singleton and Hughes bros. films and they had no conclusions except we were all doomed and had no way out.

Hope lives. I wish I could go back and tell that to the 18 year old I used to be who hung onto every word of "N---z 4 Life" by NWA.

Gen X ers nurtured and embraced hip-hop as something more than dance music and we are the next generation to take the reigns of political power and influence. Watch out world, is all I have to say. :D

[chayefsky]

Yes, there is still poverty and crime in the US, not just in the inner cities. Appalachia is at least as poor as any inner city slum. Appalachian music resonates with the suffering and hopelessness of the people, all of the people, united in their struggles. Yet, Hip Hop, which sprang from the tortured streets of the inner city, doesn't treat all of the people of the inner city as sufferers united in their struggles. In fact, Hip Hop treats the women of the inner cities, the mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and friends as targets of the suffering. The pictures painted of women by the hip Hop culture are disturbing at best, wretchedly hideous at worst. Women are discussed in ways that make them subhuman, fit only to be targets of male rage and violence. Why? Women work to hold the inner city communities together, work to hold the families together, work work work and love their children. tragic, tragic irony.

[Ohioan730]

I'm a woman who's been a fan of hip-hop since I was 8-9 years old and it is not entirely about misogyny. Hip-hop has a history that spans decades. You should be specific about the KIND of hip-hop you don't like. Its like hearing: "Metal is sat anic!" from a Pat Boone fan. A Pat Boone fan obviously doesn't know there is more to metal than Sabbath and is therefore talking about something they know nothing about and being a hater.

[Barry Michael Cooper - Huffpost Blogger]

This was a great post. Truly witty, insightful, and well written. Great job!

[december30]

How insane.

[papapj]

How arrogant.

Totally devoid of any analysis and replete with the intellectual laziness of someone who thinks it beneath them to explain themselves.........pfft..