Newsletter sign-up: 
Get Breaking News on your cellBarack Obama: Hip-hop hooray
6:19 AM Tue, Sep 30, 2008 | Permalink |
E-mail News tips
 |
 |
 
|
|
November 2008
Recent Posts
'Twilight' soundtrack debuts at No.1 on 'Billboard' chart We were there: Sarah Brightman at American Airlines Center Drummer for Jimi Hendrix found dead, officials say Toby Keith should give us more ballads and blues on latest CD Mario Tarradell: Predicting the winners at the CMA Awards White Tie Affair bring electronic pop-rock to House of Blues Bask in Maysa's silky, soulful brand of adult R&B Killers, Ludacris, Kanye albums move up a day Categories
GuideLive.com
Entertainment Blogs |
« We were there: Swell Season at the Palladium |
Main
| Get well Janet Jackson, good luck Jermaine Dupri »
Rap musicians are understandably charged up by this historic presidential race by Democratic nominee Barack Obama; he's taken on some its culture's mannerisms, referenced them along the campign trail and has found himself name-checked by some of its biggest and brightest stars (Kanye West, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy). But on the real---is the Senator a hip-hop head? Well, according to a recent chat with MTV, pretty much. "I enjoy it, but these days I don't have the time to listen to it all the time," he told MTV News. He said that he still finds time to shuffle through MCs like Jay-Z and Kanye on his iPod, but he thinks the genre's impact extends far beyond a few hot tracks. How does he feel about the direction of hip-hop? Does he have a favorite? Find out here... "I'm a little older than hip-hop culture," he said. "I was there at the beginning, but I was already getting older. ... What I've appreciated, watching this hip-hop generation, is to see how entrepreneurial they've been. In the past, musicians oftentimes were commodities. They were just shuffled around. Obviously, they did well, but they didn't have the vision to say, 'I'm going to build a business. I'm going to build my own studio. I'm going to create my own production operations.' I think they're a lot more sophisticated than in the past, and that is a wonderful thing." He went on to tell MTV News that he's still seeing growth in the genre and that he's optimistic about what's ahead for hip-hop. "What I'm starting to see is them stretching out more and thinking about social responsibility and how they can impact the culture in a positive way," he said. "And I hope that continues." And where does he weigh in on hip-hop's hottest issue -- the greatest of all time? "Oh no, I'm not going to get caught up in all that," he laughed. Smart move, Senator Obama; you've got two more taxing debates ahead of you, no need to create a third. |
 | |
|
Spotlight
|
|