Trump Is an Unwanted Guest at Hip-Hop’s 50th Birthday Party
As much as many might want to forget it, he was a symbolic and even aspirational figure among many within the rap community.
Trump’s name was in numerous rap songs in the 1990s and 2000s.
Photographer: Bloomberg/BloombergTwo monumental developments happened within the US this month: Hip-Hop turned 50 and Donald Trump was indicted for the fourth time. It might seem like these events have nothing to do with each other. But we can’t reflect on hip-hop’s cultural significance without acknowledging how the genre has lauded the presumptive wealth and persona of the former president. It's also a place where anti-progressive politics has thrived.
Although thought-provoking storytelling has always been a part of hip-hop, the culture also embraced capitalism in its early years. The genre gained widespread popularity in the same decade that Trump became a celebrity because of his wealth. In American culture, he was the gold standard of business, so when some rap artists became commercially successful, they wanted to align themselves with that piece of the American Dream.