When you think of Rap and Hip-Hop you can be forgiven if the image of a 74 year old white Senator from Vermont is not the first image to pop into your head. Upon further reflection however similarities begin to emerge between the social conscious art-forms and the surging 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Whether it is overcoming a media blackout to reach mainstream success or messages highlighting the societal problems no politicians want to talk about, Sanders and hip hop make the unlikeliest of alliances.
After Ice-T released the track “Cop Killer” in the early 90’s there was a concerted government crackdown on the hip hop/rap industry. establishment politicians of both parties at the time rushed to crack down on free expression and speech instead of focusing on the messages in the lyrics and dealing with race and class issues.
From a 1992 Los Angeles Times cover story:
Many black rappers--including Ice-T and Sister Souljah--contend that they are being unfairly singled out because their music reflects deep changes in society not being addressed anywhere else in the public forum. The white politicians, the artists complain, neither understand the music nor desire to hear what's going on in the devastated communities that gave birth to the art form.
"The reason why rap is under attack is because it exposes all the contradictions of American culture," Souljah says. "What started out as an underground art form has become a vehicle to expose a lot of critical issues that are not usually discussed in American politics. The problem here is that the White House and wanna-bes like Bill Clinton represent a political system that never intends to deal with inner city urban chaos."
Despite many obstacles including a commercial blackout in which they received little to no airplay rap artists began to thrive on and even come to dominate the charts against the rock and pop acts with the advertising/airtime backing of the music establishment.
"Rap goes against the Establishment and the conservative point of view.Black people aren't the only ones fed up with the system. White kids that are tired of their so-called leaders failing them too. That's the reason parents don't like their kids listening to us, 'cause we're starting to be like heroes to them now. When (Public Enemy's) Chuck D. raps 'Fight the Power,' these kids know what he's talking about. -Ice Cube
"Rap asks many questions that these politicians can't answer and provides insight and alternative to the mainstream opinion. It brings common sense to the table in a time when sense is not common." Chuck D (Public Enemy)
A lot of time has passed since the rap wars of 1992 but the issues of race and class remain relatively unchanged. A new era of artists like Bun B, Scarface & Lil B cite Bernie Sanders’ stance on race and economic issues as inspiring their endorsements in the 2016 presidential race.
Not content to sit on the sidelines of history Bernie Sanders’ grassroots backers have taken to YouTube to release their own politically charged Hip Hop singles. While not likely to individually have the social impact of a track like “Cop Killer”, at a time when the airwaves are once again dominated by establishment artists and Washington run by establishment politicians these songs show that Sanders has inspired some activists to go from fighting the system to attempting to take it over from the inside.
Rapper & activist Killer Mike recently explained his support for Sanders on “The Late Show with Stephen Show” stating:
Doctor King in his last two years of life talked about a poor peoples campaign, organizing unions on the behalf of poor workers and against a war machine perpetuating violence in Vietnam. Bernie Sanders is the only politician who has consistently for 50 years taken that social justice platform into politics. Right now we have an opportunity to elect someone who is directly out of the philosophy of King-ian non-violence. We can directly elect someone who cares about poor people, women, gay, black rights. People that don’t look like him.
Here are 10 examples of Sanders and his message of “A Future To Believe In” being promoted through rap, remix, spoken-word and parody.