In Pennsylvania, hip-hop may decide the election – Andscape

PITTSBURGH – Hip-hop could put the next president in the White House.

Before you call it over the top – like Lamborghini rhymes by a broke rapper – know that in the key electoral state of Pennsylvania, the organization 1 Hood power he imported a listing of Hall of Fame rappers to mobilize voters. Fat Joe, Jeezy, Common, Cordae, Bun B, Redman, Method Man and Lupe Fiasco got here to Pittsburgh to debate what’s at stake on Election Day. Actors Kerry Washington, Brian Tyree Henry and Viola Davis also responded to 1Hood’s call to motion.

The rappers have brought many years of influence, legions of listeners and greater than 24 million Instagram followers to the state that may likely decide whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump wins the Nov. 5 election. In 2020, Joe Biden defeated Trump by 80,555 votes in Pennsylvania. It needs to be much closer this 12 months, in accordance with current polls in Pennsylvania Harris and Trump tied. So every bar these artists spat on stage, every quote they delivered on a panel carries weight.

“We use hip-hop culture to build community strength” Brave Xthe rapper, founder and CEO of 1Hood told me. “Using merch, using the entire artistic legacy of hip-hop to actually change the lives of our community.”

As Jeezy said in the Andscape documentary culture and the president have gone hand in hand from the very starting. From the New York City Breakers acting at Ronald Reagan’s inaugural gala in 1984 to Harris hosting Lil Wayne, Remy Ma and other rappers for a “hip-hop party” at her official residence last 12 months to rejoice the genre’s fiftieth anniversary, politicians and rappers have long exploited one another for popularity and influence.

Trump is not any exception – he welcomed rapper Kanye West to the Oval Office, pardoned Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who supported him at the time, and now supports him with major stars reminiscent of Sexy Red and Benny The Butcher. However, to this point, hip-hop has not made a consistent and arranged effort in support of Trump, which makes the actions of Jasiri X and 1Hood much more vital.

Another notable aspect of the 1Hood movement is how it really works from the ground up. 1Hood helped elect city council members, county executives and judges who support Black and Latino communities. In 2021, the organization helped elect the first Black mayor in the history of Pittsburgh, which can have a Black population of roughly 23.1% in 2022. In 2022, 1Hood helped make Summer Lee the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Now Jasiri X and his team have done it ear Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, working on the transition team that helped fill the Shapiro administration. And they’ll put rap legends and movie stars on the same stage – like Tuesday night when Jasiri X interviewed Davis at a theater in Pittsburgh to field voters. The event was a collaboration between 1Hood and Hip-Hop Political Education Summit, which organized similar online events in 2020. 1Hood can even stream a conversation with Davis together with others from the Black and Brown Men & the Vote summit starting November 1 on the Breakbeat Media YouTube page.

“We hope that we can bring the culture to Pennsylvania, which will become a decider state,” said Jasiri X. “Obviously, I’m someone who wants Kamala Harris to win. I definitely don’t want Trump to win. We did just that in 2020 – winning Pennsylvania put Joe Biden in the White House. So we hope we can do the same in this election.”

Bakari Kitwanawriter and long-time political organizer of hip-hop, confirmed the importance of 1Hood’s work. “They do it at the grassroots level of the community, mobilizing people, getting information from the community and having conversations with the community,” Kitwana said. “They have built a level of credibility in the community as a trusted voice for people who are not here seeking their own gain. So I think the work has the potential to go much further.”

Jasiri X looks at this horizon.

“What if we start creating policies that actually change the living conditions of these communities so that they are no longer the places that cause all this violence and harm?” he said. “We have the power to do that.

“We are the No. 1 music genre in the world. We have the power to vary and influence not only the next leader of the United States, but we actually influence the policies that impact our communities day-after-day. That’s what I’d wish to see.”