A hip-hop guide to Barack Obama.

Is it just me or has every picture of Obama recently been taken from this angle. Eyes reaching out to the future, full of hope, knowing how bad ass he really is. You should know, I am a fan of the guy. It seems like everyone is now a days. But my support is not just some ploy to be hip and edgy. I have substantive reasoning behind my political preferences. So here it is: My top ten reasons why Obama should be our president (Hip-Hop edition).

10. Because Vibe magazine nicknamed him B-Rock. Fuck, thats a cooler rap name than most of the ones real rappers have. Anyone deserving of such a title must have a little bit of charisma, a little bit of swagger. This might seem like a superficial reason to vote for someone, but, to be honest, any president that has been successful in diplomatic ventures has had a personality that people can connect with. We have seen over and over again that Obama has the ability to get people on to his team. At the very least he won’t come off like a total bitch (ahem, like Hillary).

9. Coincidence? I think not.

8. Because people like DMX should never be right. Not only is his comment appalling, but it reads like he was smoking crack while being interviewed.

7. Because any one of the following could easily be his campaign theme song: Jadakiss-We Gon’ Make it (fits his message of unity and comradery), Warren G-Regulate (see recent economic policies), and Ghostface Killah-The Champ (catchy new nickname?).

6. Because he has created a reason for even the hip-hop community to become political. If it takes the interest of Mos Def, Common, Jadakiss, Jay-Z, and Russel Simmons to make politics cool again, fuck it, ill take it.

5. I’m not gonna say that all the recent Hip-Hop related Obama music tributes prove anything about Obama as a candidate. But I will say this: nobody made shit for HIllary. Just a few highlights from recent projects:

eMC-Leak It Out (check the line: I’m a star risin like Barack Obama)

Coverage from Nah Right, here and here.

Still an impressive video from Will.I.am

4.

“I’m just basically spillin’ out my emotions to the world. ‘Cause rap [politics] is about emotion. And I want you to feel what I’m feelin’, ’cause that’s what it’s all about.”-Ludacris

Great minds think a like.

3. The dude has a fucken twitter. ML likes twitter. ML likes hip-hop. You can’t deny that logic.

2. Because he’s repped by Spank Rock. “Coke and wet bitch guns nigga, Obama!” from “Coke & Wet” off YoYoYoYoYo. You might hear “holla” not Obama, but I guess thats just an untrained ear for ya.

Spank Rock-Coke & Wet

1. The number one reason: this speech. Expounding on the realities of racial injustice and inequality in this country is historical for a politician, but its just another day in the life of an emcee.

Anyway, those are some thoughts, as well as some tunes. What do you guys think? Who should be the nominee?

See Also: The guy that should probably fill that OTHER Presidential spot (not DefJam)