Here’s What Your Favorite Rappers Were Doing on Election Day
Congrats are in order for Donald Trump, who was elected the 45th President of the U.S. last night (Nov. 8), beating out Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and Evan McMullin. Once the results were in, hip-hop had a lot to say about Trump winning America's vote. T.I., Chance The Rapper and Macklemore are just a few of the rappers voicing their upset on Trump's new position as president. The only rapper who seems to be happy today is Azealia Banks, posted on social media that she's "TRULY inspired by this and feel deep amounts of vindication.”
While Trump's win divides many, one thing that can be agreed on is that this has been one of the craziest elections in U.S. history, and it's finally over. To be frank, this election has been exhausting and many people on social media have called Election Day (Nov. 8) the "series finale of America." A bit extreme but it sums up the overall climate of the nation. During CNN's coverage of election night, commentator Van Jones gave an emotional speech explaining what many minority communities felt last night. "People have talked about a miracle. I’m hearing about a nightmare,” Jones said.
Hip-hop's history with politics has been the equivalent to oil and vinegar in years past -- they don't seem to mix. However, as rap became a growing genre, it has found its way in every nook and cranny of the great USA, including the race to to see who gets the sit in the chair of the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S.
Politicians have usually shied away from embracing hip-hop artists. For every Eazy E luncheon with then-President George H.W. Bush, there's triple the amount of instances where politics bashed hip-hop.
Things changed with President Obama though. Obama, a pretty big hip-hop head himself, welcomed the genre and its superstars with open arms, reaching young voters and people of color at the same time. His campaign and presidency has been filled with some major hip-hop moments — like his iconic Jay Z-inspired shoulder brush and the legendary White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech in which he said “I’ve got 99 problems and now Jay Z is one" -- proving rappers had a president they could trust. During his final months left in office, Hillary Clinton followed suit and embraced hip-hop as well.
Never in politics has hip-hop been so vocal about voting for the next president. In 2016, rappers dispelled the "my vote doesn't matter" stigma and called on their fans to hit the polls. This week, everyone from Common to Chris Brown to 2 Chainz to Kodak Black, to name a few, have voiced their opinion leading up to the big day. XXL highlights the rappers who were vocal on Election Day -- and the night before -- to make sure their voice didn't go unheard.
Gucci Mane and Rick Ross
YG
Chance The Rapper
Lil Dicky
Ice Cube
50 Cent
Chris Brown
Nas
Dizzy Wright
Dreezy
Rae Sremmurd
Roscoe Dash
Dutch ReBelle
Snoop Dogg
Questlove
Ludacris
G-Eazy
Dej Loaf
Kodak Black
E-40
Swizz Beatz
Vic Mensa
Lil Yachty
Common
Fabolous
Jeezy
Desiigner
2 Chainz
Quavo
Macklemore
Young Chop
Metro Boomin
OG Maco