Fans and patrons of the rap community were surprised and
dismayed to discover veteran rappers like Snoop Dogg. Nelly performed at the
Crypto Ball, one of a handful of pre-inaugural events for President-elect Donald
Trump. The following day, backlash poured in, mainly from the Black
community, primarily targeting Snoop Dogg and Nelly.
So, why exactly was it a big deal? The months leading up to
the November 2024 presidential elections witnessed a lot of discourse about the
state of Black men as leaders within their communities. Such dialogues
intensified after the election polls revealed that while 92% of Black women
voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, only 78% of their male counterparts
voted that way. The exit poll numbers, along with former President Barack
Obama's fireside chat encouraging young Black men to vote and BET Black Men's
Summit—hosted by D.L. Hughley and featuring influential Black male celebrities discussing
critical issues in the Black community—highlighted the importance of engaging
this demographic in the political process. According to a Black Male Voter
Study conducted by BET Consumer Insights, nearly 20% of Black men feel ignored
by the political process.
Additionally, Donald Trump does not have the best track record with members of the Black community, which goes back to the early 1970s. The Trump family was known for their housing discrimination, particularly toward Black applicants. During the 2016 presidential debate, Hillary Clinton referenced a 1973 lawsuit against Donald Trump and his company for alleged racial discrimination in housing developments in New York. Former school teacher Annette Gandy Fortt was one of many Black applicants who were "Not Wanted."
Then there is the issue of Central Park Five. In 1989, five
young, primarily Black and Latino teenage boys in New York were accused of
brutally raping a woman. Those boys, now men, were found to be innocent decades
later. Nonetheless, Donald Trump called for the reinstatement of New York's
death penalty and made public declarations calling for their deaths by taking
out full-page advertisements. Once again, they were innocent. Trump has never
apologized to those men.
Trump has wielded enough anti-Black sentiment for them to
get the hint. Yes, an isolated few tend to flock that way, but we won't get
into that. As this is all public knowledge at this point, why didn't the likes
of Snoop Dogg and Nelly speak out on Trump's discrimination? Well, one of them
did—Snoop Dogg.
Eight years ago, Snoop Dogg referred to Trump as a
"racist" and declared to criticize any members of the Black community
who voted for him:
Which one of you jigaboo ass (N-word) is going to be the first to do it. I'm
waiting. I'm going to roast the (obscenity) out of one of you, Uncle
Tom, ass (N-words) for doing it. Which of you (N-words) will do
it first."
As for Nelly, the disappointment isn't as profound because
he's not in the public eye as much these days as Snoop Dogg is. Nonetheless, he
attempted to justify his decision:
"We tend to sometimes make a quick, I would say,
response to something that on the surface may seem it's effed up because we
don't agree on something else," he said. "I'm not political. I'm not
out here trying to tell anyone who they should vote for. This is not a campaign.
A trail…I respect the office. This isn't politics. The politics, for me it's
over. He won. He's the president. He's the commander-in-chief of what I would
like to say is the best country in the world."
That may be the problem, Nelly. You don't view this as
political when it is. Not only is it political and racial, but that's also the
point. Additionally, if neither he nor Snoop Dogg understands the backlash, that
is another issue that should be addressed. You have to wonder why none of them
questioned why their invitation rappers were invited to perform at a
pre-inaugural event full of mainly Crypto-Peeps.
https://www.bet.com/article/83dl4f/bets-black-mens-summit-amplifies-voices-ahead-of-2024-election
https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/117470/documents/HHRG-118-GO00-20240627-SD009.pdf
https://www.yahoo.com/news/snoop-dogg-denounced-trump-then-193026612.html
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/snoop-dogg-wows-trump-inauguration-crypto-ball-bob-marley-song
Hi Ebony.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I think the title of your blog is just brilliant. Hypochondria is a growing concern for doctors and the idea lends itself perfectly to politics. I am Hispanic. There is this reggaeton artist, Nicky Jam, who is very popular. He too gave his support for Trump. The main difference is that when Trump made those harsh comments in regards to Puerto Rico, Nicky Jam's place of birth, he condemned Trump for his comments. However, the Latino community and especially those Puerto Ricans that support him lost a lot of respect for him. I can see where you are coming from in that respect.
The term "redlining" was established in the 1960s and 1970s as a way for deciding where black people could live. It defined districts. Most people lived in districts that were rundown and close to factories. Many of these neighborhoods were not giving proper funding for school districts which contribute to keeping these neighborhoods in poverty. Essentially it was segregation thru housing which is still in practice to this day.
Hi ebony , I first wanted to start off by saying I love the theme of your blog post. I think this was a great topic to cover. These black rappers play a big role in their community so to see them stand by a president who has not always had African American best interest dissapointed the community. Knowing that snoop dog finds Donald trump racist but yet still can stand behind made a lot of his fans lose respect for him. You added very important messages in your blog great job !
ReplyDeleteHello! I enjoyed reading your post Ebony, the way you go about describing the reasoning why people may have a bad taste in their mouth regarding Snoop Dogg being so open about support for Trump is a unique idea that I feel many people resonate with. Unlike Nelly, Snoop Dogg is quite literally everywhere, from Elf on the Shelf partnerships to working with brands like Sketchers. He has no reason to involve himself within politics other than to show divisiveness towards many within his fan base. Once you bring in situations within Trump’s personal history of redlining within New York neighborhoods and the Central Park Five, who he stated very publicly show be punished in a harsh manner without notable evidence, Snoop’s support goes from questionable to deplorable.
ReplyDelete