One thing that sure sets this upcoming presidential election apart from all previous ones in my memory is the unprecedented amount of active input and interest from hip-hop artists and fans alike - most of whom seem to be endorsing Obama - with a smaller percentage in support of Hillary. And all seem to share a strong distaste of anything related to Bush's regime and most things Republican.
Of all the mailings (printed, audio, video) I have received in recent weeks from hip-hop artists or organizations the following email, that I received today (Super Tuesday), from NY emcee Talib Kweli (see video above of his Amoeba Hollywood instore last August) is the most convincing and articulately presented. Hence I thought I would reprint it here. Note that this is not an endorsement of Barack Obama by this Amoeblogger or by Amoeba Music.
This is what Talib Kweli wrote:
"It is the last year of the Bush administration and thank God. I usually rail against being described as simply "political rapper", and I haven't voted since Bill Clinton first ran for President. I was following the tradition that Black Americans have had of voting for democrats since we got the right in 1964 (temporarily). Then, Clinton, as president's go, seemed better than Bush Sr., but I did not like his policies in Sudan or the constant bombing of Iraq. I also did not like the way our government dragged us thru the Lewinsky scandal. I felt betrayed by the system, and I stopped voting, no longer accepting of the lesser of two evils.