Spartan Echo

Section: Student Life

A publicity photo of Nas from MySpace.

For the 2008 political campaign, many youth are being attracted to the American political process. The political campaign of Sen. Barack Obama has inspired young people to become more involved. To get the youth attracted to the political campaign, many artists are using their voice, dollars and influence that are effective instruments for political change.

Bakari Kitwana, of The Source magazine and the College Democrats of America, has a forum titled "Hip Hop: Be the Change" that deals with how hip hop has played a role in the election.

"Young voters have already been mobilizing. And Obama," Kitwana argued, "just happens to be the beneficiary. Of all the candidates in the field, he's the most ideal for the hip-hop generation. People born within the hip-hop generation have a different world view. They're born in a post-segregation America and their idea of the American dream is radically different from previous generations of Americans."

Many hip hop artists have embraced Sen. Obama's candidacy and used their ability to reach millions and offer supportive messages. Nas, for instance, released a song called "Black President." In a trend started by Will.i.am, John Legend, actress and singer Tatyana Ali, Sean "Puffy" Combs and many others have created songs and catchy lines with variations of Obama's change message.

While standing in front of the Student Union building near the voter registration table, 2007 alumnus Luticia Stubbs expressed what she thought of hip hop and the election.

"I think it helped a lot of people realize how important it is to vote. I remember hearing how the percent of voting has gone up, especially for African Americans."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools