Barack Obama is not a fan of rap music

August 3, 2007

Barack Obama will be appearing on the cover of Vibe for their 14th anniversary issue, and he had some interesting thoughts on hip hop:

“There’s no doubt that hip-hop culture moves our young people powerfully. And some of it is not just a reflection of reality … It also creates reality. I think that if all our kids see is a glorification of materialism and bling and casual sex and kids are never seeing themselves reflected as hitting the books and being responsible and delaying gratification, then they are getting an unrealistic picture of what the world is like.”

Obama seems smart enough not to get too caught up on the issue however, saying that:

“My priority as a U.S. senator is dealing with poverty and educational opportunity and adequate health care. If I’m ignoring those issues and spending all my time worrying about rap lyrics, then I’m wasting my time.”

That quote sounds like Obama learned a lot from Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons criticism back in April (when Obama originally criticized rap lyrics, comparing them to racist shock jock Don Imus’ comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team), when Simmons said:

“My response to Sen. Obama is that you have to talk about the poverty and ignorance that creates such a climate that the poets can talk like that,” Simmons told ABC News. “And all the politicians owe them an education and an opportunity for a better life — and maybe they’ll say something better.”