America’s youth have never been very politically involved. In fact in all nations more often than not, young people could care less about politics and rarely pay attention to how it affects their lives. However when things get so bad that no one, not even children can ignore it, everybody starts to take notice and look for a change. Well it is now that bad. The economy is looking worse and worse by the day. We are STILL at war. There are no jobs. People are losing their homes. Kids are not able to go to school due to education budget cuts. If ever there was a time when America’s youth was paying attention, it is now.

Thankfully there is an opportunity for change coming very soon in the form of presidential candidate Barack Obama. However for this change to happen we must all go vote him into office on November 4th. Getting young people to vote has always been an issue. In the late 90’s MTV started a campaign called Rock The Vote which encouraged young people to vote by using celebrity rock stars and actors in commercials which told them to vote. This worked to a degree. Kids did get interested and paid more attention since it made politics seem more accessible and in their world. Now however rock music is not the dominate form of music the youth wants and listens to. Hip Hop tops the charts and everyone wants a piece. Corporate America has dove head first into the hip hop cash machine using it to sell everything from burgers to clothes to cars to even bottled vitamin water.

But don’t think hip hop has just been used to turn a dollar. Thankfully the powers that be have also realized hip hops ability to speak to the youth in a different manner and have used rappers to campaign for several important social issues such as disaster relief and AIDS awareness. Now a new mission has come up and I feel hip hop has answered fully and is the one leading the way. We need to get Barack Obama into the white house. No one has realized this more than the hip hop community and they are taking full action to see this gets done.

Almost every rapper on earth has a song about Barack Obama. Jay-Z gives a full five minute Barack presentation at every one of his shows. T.I. goes to different cities to help out in voter registration drives. Bow Wow walks across America to encourage voter registration. Every rapper wears Barack t-shirts, hats, pins, and anything else they can fit the man’s face on. This is the new cool. If your not involved in politics this year and your not trying to do something to make a change, you seem left out.

Now how is this translating to the youth and how will this make a difference? Well it’s very simple. Rappers are our heroes. Nobody wants to be like Mike anymore. We wanna be like Wayne. We wanna be like Jay. They have great influence over us young people and we look to them as idols and often emulate what they do. Whatever fashion is in that’s what we rock. Rainbow BAPE hoodies anyone? What kinda car they talk about is the kind we desire, even if we could never afford it. The jewelry they wear is the kind we want. Hip Hop has even reshaped America’s idea of what an attractive woman should look like, from a skinny white model to a bangin, caramel brown video vixen with thighs that could crush a boa constrictor.

So think about it. If hip hop could be used to make us want and desire all these otherthings couldn’t it do the same with politics. Of course it could. And it is. How many times have you seen a kid walking down the street with an Obama t-shirt on? Even young teenagers not even old enough to vote wear them. Now ask yourself did you see kids wearing Kerry t-shirts four years ago? What about Al Gore t-shirts 8 years ago? I sure didn’t. If rappers make voting cool, and particularly voting for Barack Obama cool then that is what’s gonna happen. There is a real energy in the air now among the hip hop community. We feel like we are really making a change and this is the time that we, the good guys, are going to prevail.

When Jay-Z tells people to vote for Barack that affects millions of people. So many kids look up to him, so imagine how many people his words will touch and inspire. When Jeezy tells us his “President Is Black” that means something. I love hip hop but I can honestly say we have not always been the most responsible when it comes to the things we promote in our music. Shining and flossing, ridin big, and getting our dick sucked usually are the main themes that prevail, which don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against any of those activities. It’s just that now we have all united for something than is real and that the average person and listener can touch. Most people won’t get near a Bentley or ever rock a million dollar piece of jewelry. But we can all vote. This is something we can all believe and take part in.

I am going to vote for Barack Obama. Not because Jay told me to or because he’s black or even because everybody else I know is going to vote for him. I’m going to help put Obama in office because I believe he has the best plan and intentions for this country. I feel he is honest, intelligent, and feels the people’s pain out here. However I can also honestly say I probably wouldn’t of paid as much attention to this whole process if not for hip-hop’s influence. I have never voted before but I can say now that I am excited to vote and exercise my right to do what I think is right. I also know I am not the only one. Hip Hop is a positive influence in this election and I believe is one of the main reasons why November 4th will be such an historic day. So remember above all else go out and vote, do your part to keep another devil from running our country for years to come. Then after you go vote, jump back in the whip and let Jeezy tell us what color our new and hopeful president is. God Bless America.