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.

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In contrast to so many rappers today who pride themselves on 'going dumb' and acting 'ignant' Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli prides himself on staying smart both in his life (along with Mos Def he owns an independent, non-profit black bookstore in Brooklyn) and through his refreshingly conscious music that harks back to the golden age of hip-hop when saying something positive was as important as a laying down a catchy hook for the radio and dancefloor.  It is no coincidence that "Kweli" in Swahili means "true" since the artist is 100% true to hip-hop as a positive black artform meant to uplift rather than dumb-down the masses.

 Like his longtime collaborators and old Rawkus pals Mos Def and Hi-Tek Talib Kweli has always stayed true to hip-hop's roots but yet has managed to stay current and vital. Personally I think he is one of the few contemporary artists making hip-hop that is worth a damn and when I first got his 2006 single "Listen" (off his new album Ear Drum) it just got stuck both in my head and on my turntable for weeks on end. It is the way hip-hop should be: good track and hook with lyrics that actually say something. Check out the video for Listen below. But later today (Monday August 20th) if you are in the Los Angeles area you can probably see/hear him perform it live if you check out his Hollywood Amoeba Music instore. It starts at 6PM but get there early to jockey a good position.  And if, like me, you will not be in SoCal take advantage of the live streaming of his instore via this website which also is scheduled to start at 6PM Pacific Standard Time.