Ahead of the Nov. 17 release of his memoir, A Promised Land, Barack Obama chatted with The Atlantic about the 2020 election and the state of American politics, among other topics.
While discussing populism in the country’s political fabric, the former President brought up Trump’s increase in support among Black male voters, implying that the luxurious nature of rap music could be a factor. “People are writing about the fact that Trump increased his support among Black men [in the 2020 presidential election], and the occasional rapper who supported Trump,” he told the publication.
“I have to remind myself that if you listen to rap music, it’s all about the bling, the women, the money,” he continued. “A lot of rap videos are using the same measures of what it means to be successful as Donald Trump is. Everything is gold-plated. That insinuates itself and seeps into the culture.”
Election polls saw an estimated 20% of Black men voted for Trump this year, two percentage points higher than the 18% who voted for him in 2016.
Obama released his Promised Land-themed playlist on Monday (Nov. 16), which featured a number of rap songs including “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, and “My 1st Song” by Jay-Z.
Read the full interview here.
