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As Always, Hip-Hop Will Get Us Through This Political Chaos
From Lil Baby to Megan Thee Stallion, rap has defined the activism — and uncertainty — of the Trump era
It is 2020, and the patience of the people has worn thin. This is true on many fronts, including in our growing ambivalence toward the idea of celebrity. Popular culture will never be entirely free of its obsession with fame, but particularly during the pandemic, there has been a frustration, even an outright dismissal, of celebrity culture. The frustration, largely, stems from how plainly the limits of celebrity have been shown when it comes to offering any direct aid to a high-stakes moment.
In the world of rap music, there have been frustrations as well, particularly in recent weeks. Even for those hip-hop fans who were not interested in entertaining the distraction of a Kanye West presidential run, there was the fresh annoyance with Ice Cube for working with the Trump administration as an adviser on a plan for Black America, and with Diddy for swinging in late last week to claim he was starting his own political party, Our Black Party (though he did this while also officially endorsing Joe Biden). In the case of Cube, many cited a departure from the politics he performed in his younger days with N.W.A. and as a solo artist. In the case of Diddy, it was just a further example of him being out of touch with the needs of people who aren’t as wealthy as he is.
But, existing somewhat along a generational divide, there is a new crop of rap stars who are continuing in the tradition of the genre’s political nature. For some, this may mean dropping a protest track with an eye on the charts; for others, it means meeting the tangible needs of the people doing work in the streets. Among many of those people doing that work, there is a palpable exhaustion. There is still a desire for joy, of course. But there’s also a desire for a soundtrack to do more — to give some kind of life in a year so lacking in mirth.
