We’ve Reached The Depths Of Celebrity Activism
Too many hip-hop icons have embarrassed themselves this election season.
Celebrity activism has its benefits; last week demonstrated the dangers. Ice Cube allowed himself to be used for publicity by the Trump Administration, and couldn’t explain how their discussion benefited Black America. Kanye West’s Presidential “campaign,” which is filled with more questions than answers, was promoted on his latest single. The URL battle rap league was involved in a pro-Joe Biden “battle” on a basketball court that was so parodic it favored a scene from Malibu’s Most Wanted.
Both political parties are seeking Black voters ahead of the Nov. 3rd election, and are hoping hip-hop artists can sway Black America in a way that their oppressive policies don’t. While antics like the URL battle and celebrities’ naked “go vote” campaigns are garden variety self-parody, Diddy, Kanye, and Ice Cube are so drunken by their celebrity that they feel capable of actually affecting policy.
Who could blame them when a verbose celebrity is in the country's highest office? In 2016, reality star and beleaguered entrepreneur Donald Trump rode bluster and the mainstream media’s thirst for ratings, into political legitimacy, offering white supremacists the “hope” that Barack Obama gave to liberals. He’s since used his office to exchange social currency with celebrities like Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and (involuntarily) A$AP Rocky, culling favor from their fanbases by helping them in various manners.
Trump helped legitimize Kim Kardashian’s criminal justice reform aspirations by pardoning 65-year-old Alice Marie Johnson at her request. His “dragon energy” inspired Kanye West so much that he started an independent Presidential campaign specifically to steal votes from Biden. His “campaign” has been a disaster. He missed so many filing deadlines that he’s only on the ballot in 12 states. He has no mathematical chance at being elected, but his audacity to be the face of a campaign steered by Trump allies is unforgivable. He won’t suffer from Trump’s policies, but millions will. Does he care as long as they’re buying Yeezys and streaming his music? He released a “Nah Nah Nah” freestyle this week, rhyming, “you are talkin' to a presidential candidate.” As hip-hop boasts go, that’s unprecedented — which is all he was looking for. His “campaign” is a $3.5 million publicity stunt. The beloved entertainer has long battled bipolarism, but it becomes ableist to make a 1:1 parallel between mental illness and supporting fascism. There’s no way to tell what his intentions are, which is why most people wish he would just go away.
Kanye initially expressed his initial Trump support by parroting conservative pundits like Candace Owens, who urged a Blexit (Black exit) from the Democratic Party which she deemed the “Democratic plantation.” Though the “plantation” usage is hyperbolic, their sentiment reflects Black people’s legitimate dissatisfaction with the Democratic party. Steven Thrasher wrote in 2017 that, “after electing the first black president failed to ameliorate the plight of black America in any meaningful structural way, I suspect the jig is up that the Democrat party (as presently constituted) is going to help black Americans.”
Bernie Sanders’ two-time failure to achieve the Democratic Presidential nomination reaffirms the party’s devotion to oppression. Activists have been calling for both states and the federal government to defund the police and reroute those funds to public services. But instead of hearing those calls, the Democrats ran with Joe Biden, who thinks “if you have a problem figuring out if you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.” It’s clear that the DNC doesn’t hear our demands, but also doesn’t care, because they know “the other side of the aisle” is worse.
That dismissiveness is reflected in the recent collaboration between the Democratic party and the Ultimate Rap League, America’s biggest battle rap league. Last week they released a video that started with battlers Charlie Clips and DNA shooting hoops and commenced into a rap debate about why they should both vote for Biden. They were attempting to address Black people’s dissatisfaction with Biden, with DNA rapping from a Biden-approved fact sheet. As he rhymed about Biden’s policies, corresponding graphics popped up on screen. Viewers could probably imagine Democratic officials nodding smugly as the rappers hammered home the party line.
The Democratic party has long used hip-hop artists to reach Black voters. But the advocacy is typically relegated to an endorsement or a performance at a rally. Having rappers recite an after-school special with on the nose bars like “with Biden and Harris plan we gotta trust” made them look like puppets on a string. Black people don’t need battle raps on basketball courts to help us decide our vote — we just desire policy that acknowledges our humanity. The trope-filled video proved they’re not willing to engage with us on a real level. For URL, it also reflects that climbing the capitalist ladder requires supporting the establishment in compromising, cringeworthy manners.
Ice Cube and Diddy, two hip-hop icons, achieved headlines of their own last week with a pair of well-intentioned initiatives that reflect a lack of political education. Ice Cube’s Contract with Black America seeks seismic reforms for Black people — which is why he never should have talked to the Trump administration about it. Diddy’s Our Black Party is a new political party attempting to “unify” Black people across party lines — all to vote for a Democrat.
On Wednesday, Trump aide Katrina Pierson tweeted gratitude to Cube for helping the administration craft Trump’s Platinum Plan, which promises access to $500 billion in capital for Black people. Cube clarified that the administration merely called him and asked to look over his CWBA for possible points to include in the Platinum Plan. But few of Cube’s demands are reflected in Trump’s initiative. The administration merely wanted to use their discussion to frame Cube as their ally and ingratiate themselves to Black voters, as Trump did with Steve Harvey, Ray Lewis, Kanye West, and others. Cube should have known that an administration that doesn’t believe systemic racism is real wouldn’t have taken his requests for reparations seriously. CNN’s Chris Cuomo asked Cube his thought’s on Trump’s response to police violence. Cube surmised that ”once (Black people) get some capital we’ll be treated better” because “this is a capitalistic society.” The statement made it clear that he has a fundamental misunderstanding of white supremacy and was ripe to be used as a pawn.
Diddy’s “party” raises more questions than answers. Like Cube, the party’s agenda seeks progressive initiatives like defunding the police and decriminalizing poverty. But why did he announce it three weeks before the election? Why did he create a “new party” just in time to vote for a Democrat? What, if any actions will this “party” be undertaking in the weeks leading up to November 3rd? In April he encouraged Black people to “hold their vote,” but recently walked that back because “things have got too serious,” as he tweeted. But the Trump administration has always been a “serious” threat to America. Perhaps if he wasn’t too busy partying at the Super Bowl while pro-Colin Kaepernick citizens were boycotting the NFL, he would’ve had the time to read about his former friend Trump’s abuses and launch this initiative sooner.
Though Cube and Diddy both want better for Black people, they shouldn’t be leading any political efforts. Both artists have expressed discontent with the two-party system, and their initiatives reflect a cogent understanding of social justice priorities. But both have executed their plans poorly. It’s also clear that neither has read enough to know that there are worthwhile measures beyond asking a functionally dirty system to cleanse itself. Racialized policies won’t liberate Black people; equality can only be achieved through a system that doesn’t categorize. But it’s laughable to expect beneficiaries of capitalism to call for abolition.
Radical organizations were seeking donations all summer during anti-police uprisings and still are. Neither artist offered anything to that fight (that we publicly know of), and said little to defend rioters who the media condemned, but saw fit to pop up at the 11th hour with ambitious ideas that have little chance of being enacted by either party.
A range of social factors have converged to create this moment. Barack Obama spent eight years embracing hip-hop and allowing rappers into the White House. Black entertainers manipulated their proximity to Obama, rebranding Black capitalism as Black excellence and selling the dream to poor people. The rise of Black Lives Matter and other anti-police, Black liberation movements inspired entertainers and corporations to sell symbolic activism in such droves that the public conflated these vendors with activists. Certain activists were given so many magazine covers and sponsorships that the public conflated them with celebrities. The lines between marketing and activism have been blurred beyond recognition for the unread.
We may be tired of the two-party system, but neither party is tired of exploiting us. The only way to put entertainers back in their place is to strike at the root of the issue: capitalism. Without capitalism, there wouldn’t be rampant consumerism. Without consumerism, there wouldn’t be stars who generate millions that allow them to socially insulate themselves and ego trip at the expense of Black America. Money and following wouldn’t take precedence over qualification.
Until we reassess our relationship with celebrity and work to uproot capitalism, hip-hop will continue to stray from its anti-establishment roots and be used as a tool for political parties to manipulate Black America. And uneducated entertainers will continue to invade the political arena with half-baked ideas. Visibility isn’t power; knowledge is. It’s time to work toward a society that collectively understands that.
This is a free newsletter. Those who wish to support can contribute here:
Venmo: Andre-Gee
Thank u so much Andre.
Also, a couple questions:
1 - what is the best Ice Cube album post 1992?
2 - which are the best ways on the ground to cultivate knowledge?
This was a word. I couldn't agree with you more. Thank you!