Hip-hop artists have always dreamt of a black man in the White House. Now that Obama is the first black male elected to office, many hip-hop artists aren’t as satisfied as desired. With the gangster dream of pimping the White House, Obama just won’t cut it. In the article “Stompin’ in My Air Force One,” Jonah Weiner talks a lot about rap lyrics in general related to the president. For instance, if rap artist Nas were president, “he will appoint Coretta Scott King to a mayoralty, fling open the gates of Attica, and grant every citizen and Infiniti Q45.”

While artists are not entirely happy with this classy president, his taste in music has most exuberant. He is a fan of many great lyricists: Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Kanye West, T.I., and Young Jeezy. Obama perfectly executes his attitude towards rap. “I love the art of hip-hop… I don’t always love the message.” This presidency has influenced many new songs including Young Jeezy’s “My President” with the popular lyrics, “My president is black, my Maybach too.” Weiner thinks Obama being president will be a bit of a bittersweet experience for hip-hop. For Obama, the days of low hanging pants and the hood are over, and he is not afraid to down talk them. In one of his most popular quotes, “Brothers should pull their pants up.”

Former bad boy rapper T.I. is currently in jail. His most recent album, though; “is well-suited for the new era of responsibility.” He criticizes himself endlessly, a lot about how he has already changed. Could this album directly correspond to Obama’s presidency? T.I. has never admitted to it, but includes him in some lyrics. This album came out shortly after Obama and T.I. had lunch, and T.I. helped support Obama. This helps provide evidence of Obama’s positive influence on the hip-hop society.

The straight-up facts are that Obama cannot change hip-hop though. To compare him to someone of Lil Wayne’s status is ridiculous. Almost all rappers the president is a fan of came up through the streets by succeeding at things the president doesn’t condone. Hip-hop gets a lot of fame for the lyrics involving drugs and money. Is the fact that most rappers and our one president are black even something to consider? Even with the same skin color, attitudes and morals are opposite. If anything, Obama is going to end up hurting those rappers with fewer morals. Weiner states, “Obama’s rise might weaken the position of those less explicitly political MCs, for instance, who rap about the allure of the drug trade in neighborhoods low on viable careers, or those whose gangsta tales make an implicit point about the conditions that create gangstas in the first place.” A majority of hip-hop is all about the drugs, money, and women-something Obama is not all about.