Surprise appearances from local rappers are, in many ways, embedded into the lived experiences of many Atlanta residents. No one expected it to extend to the Democratic National Convention, however. A performance from Atlanta native Lil Jon turned out to be a highlight of the event held in Chicago in August.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to officially nominate Kamala Harris for president,” the rapper and producer said, turning the otherwise ceremonial roll call into a mini concert.
Lil Jon’s appearance may be the most high-profile example of a presidential candidate leveraging a rapper for cultural influence this year, but it’s certainly not the only example.
Megan Thee Stallion and Atlanta rapper Quavo appeared alongside Harris at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in July. It was the vice president’s first local appearance as a 2024 presidential nominee.
Meanwhile, Florida rapper Kodak Black released the song “ONBOA47RD” in support of former President Donald Trump in August. The video features clips from some of the Republican presidential nominee’s speeches and credits him as a songwriter.
These moments have linked rappers — otherwise known for their entertainment value — to key moments in political history and showcased their desire to have a voice outside of art. Andra Gillespie, associate professor of political science at Emory University, said the participation of hip-hop celebs can prove beneficial to the candidates they’re supporting.
Credit: Kymani Culmer
Credit: Kymani Culmer
“This is part of branding, which is why candidates like endorsements. When you have people who have a certain level of currency, candidates want to have some of the sparkle of that brand shine on them,” she says. “I think the hope is that if you like a particular artist and that artist likes a particular candidate, then the voter might then choose to like the same politicians that [the artist] likes.”
This allegiance is particularly noteworthy in a city like Atlanta, where a large number of rappers live and work. In alignment with the city’s longstanding identity as a civil rights city and a hip-hop mecca, the worlds of politics and rap have often crossed paths.
This year’s presidential election, during which Harris and Trump are competing in a tight race in Georgia, has proven to be no different. Still, beyond the positive effect of branding, experts say it’s much harder to prove whether or not celebrity endorsements are actually effective in getting voters to turn out for a particular candidate.
A longstanding alliance
Atlanta rappers have a long history of campaigning for politicians, and their support has often skewed toward Democrats. Jeezy notably penned the song “My President is Black” in response to former President Barack Obama’s run in 2008. More recently, BRS Kash transformed the sexually explicit “Throat Baby” into “Vote Baby” during a 2020 rally for Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Latto invited Stacey Abrams, then a Democratic candidate for Governor, on stage ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
And earlier this month, Jermaine Dupri participated in a “Brothas and Brews” event to encourage Black men to turn out for Harris. “Listen, I’m telling you. If you live in this city, you love the way this city moves, it’s no way possible you should be voting for the other side,” he said, alluding to the city’s long history of Black politicians.
Lil Jon has supported general get-out-the vote efforts, too. In 2014, he reimagined his song “Turn Down for What” into “Turn Out for What” for a star-studded Rock the Vote PSA. And prior to his viral moment at the DNC, a social media meme circulated content that reimagined the popular lyric from his hit single ”Get Low” from “to the window to the wall” into “to the window to the Walz.”
Republicans gain support
Atlanta rappers have also been vocal supporters of former president Donald Trump. Many of the hip-hop artists in support of Trump hail from Detroit, New York and Florida, but Waka Flocka Flame and Money Man are among locals lending their support to his campaign.
In July Waka Flocka Flame told Biden supporters to leave one of his concerts, and he has been steadfast in his support of the Republican presidential nominee. “Trump [is] still my president. I don’t have to stand with a red hat or dance [on] stage for money in my pockets,” he posted on X later that month.
Corey Miles, assistant sociology and Africana studies professor at Tulane University, says using rappers in campaign messaging is an attempt for politicians to gain access to a cultural cache within the Black community that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. “Hip-hop functions as almost a proxy for Blackness,” he says.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Black voters are a critical voting block in the forthcoming presidential election and any support Trump garners among the group could prove vital in his efforts to win the election.
A national poll conducted by The New York Times found eight out of 10 Black voters said they would vote for Harris. Still, the newspaper reports, this marks a reduction from 2020 that is “large enough to imperil [Harris’] chances of winning key battleground states.”
Do these endorsements matter?
Celebrity endorsements aren’t new and extend far beyond rappers in Atlanta, of course. While Atlanta’s rap and political communities have long been intertwined, there hasn’t been much research on just how effective these alliances are in terms of mobilizing voters for a particular candidate.
Despite celebrity political endorsements dating back to the 1920s, there remains a lot of national debate about the effectiveness famous people have in helping candidates secure a win. This is partially because there are a lot of ways that celebrities can support a political campaign, including fundraising, attracting media attention or rallying voters online and in person.
An August study from Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance found rates of online voter registration and poll worker sign-up increased when celebrities participated in calls-to-actions.
“While some polling shows that people claim they aren’t influenced by celebrity voices when it comes to politics, more rigorous evidence indicates that these voices are incredibly powerful,” the report said, citing celebrities’ presence on social media and their influence on younger generations as effective ways to increase voter engagement.
For example, Vote.org reported more than 35,000 registrations after pop star Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Harris and encouraged her more than 270 million followers on Instagram to register via a link to the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. While the voting organization can’t directly tie every registration to Swift’s post, it reported experiencing a 1,226% increase in participation in the hour after the singer’s post.
Registration is only one crucial step in the voting process, though. Gillespie notes people still have to turn out to the polls and cast a ballot for a specific candidate. Quantifying just how effective celebrity endorsements are in getting prospective voters through all of these steps is a bit harder to do.
“There isn’t a lot of evidence necessarily to suggest that a celebrity endorsement persuades people to vote for a particular candidate,” the professor says.
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