Ya Heard: Hip-hop gets Ba-racked to its core

"To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles."

Ludacris' recent record "Obama is Here," in which he criticizes Hilary Rodham Clinton and the Republican presidential nominee John McCain, attracted a number of negative responses last week.

Those who felt the track went too far ranged from those inside the hip-hop community to far outside it. While attempting to show his allegiance to the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, Luda came out looking more like The Rev.

Jeremiah Wright than a valued supporter.

Shortly after hearing of lyrics such as, "Hillary hated on you, so that [female dog] is irrele-vant" and "Paint the White House black and I'm sure that's got 'em terrified/ McCain don't belong in any chair unless he's paralyzed," Obama denounced the record. Obama's campaign spokesman Bill Burton went on to say, "While Ludacris is a talented individual, he should be ashamed of these lyrics."

Despite the fact this record alone will not greatly influence November's election, the situation does illustrate the critical role that hip-hop represents in this historical election year. While hip-hop music has always been politically aware, the possibility of witnessing the first black president has Ba-racked the culture to its core. Furthermore, with the record number of newly-registered young voters that participated in this past spring's primary elections, it is clear that hip-hop has been given a seat in the arena of political discussion.

Hip-hop's influence is now beginning to be recognized as a powerful voting block -- a voting block that was formally identified with Diddy and friends' 2004 "Vote or Die" campaign, but has now transitioned into a serious force to be reckoned with.

This is all due to the fact the culture has a candidate it seems to be able to identify with on so many levels -- a young, energetic and honest candidate that strongly appeals to the culture. How can we forget the pound he gave his wife on stage upon winning the Democratic nomination? Or him brushing the dirt off his shoulders in North Carolina while speaking of the criticism leveled at him by Hilary Clinton during their classic race for the nomination? Those are just a couple of reasons hip-hop, as a whole, identifies with the man. When it comes to hip-hop, it's not a matter of black and white. It's a matter of character.

It goes without saying Barack Obama has benefited, to some degree, from hip-hop's ac-ceptance and its ability to break racial barriers with its music. Hmm, actually that may be a two-way street, as hip-hop has found pride in Obama's acceptance of it and his ability to break racial barriers with his message of change, but that's another story.

In response to the fact hip-hop is the language of today's generation, artists have begun expressing support for Obama through lyrics. Yet, by rallying young supporters to vote for Obama in November, it is pivotal they do not isolate others who may support other candidates (i.e. Hillary Clinton).

With a candidate such as Obama, who has embraced bringing people together through hope and benevolence, songs and comments such as those made in Ludacris' "Obama is Here" promotes an energy completely opposite of those ideals. Sure, it was not Luda's intent to bring any sort of ill will to Obama's campaign, but that is exactly what was done. As in all politics, calculated dialect is key. And that is what hip-hop artists have to keep in mind while speaking on political subjects.

It would be great if that were the case at all times, but it is critical at this point artists watch their tongue when showing support for any candidate. Especially an artist such as Ludacris, who was mentioned by Obama as an emcee he enjoyed listening to, consideration should be given to the big picture.

As this election year begins to turn its final lap, hip-hop artists must be mindful of their actions when expressing support. No matter the candidate, the hip-hop vote should be looked at as an aware and responsible demographic. As far as supporting Obama, it must be acknowledged these are uncharted waters.

Hip Hop Trivia

Which artist is known as the People's Champ?

Which artist is known as the King of Trill?

Be the eighth person to send me an e-mail with the correct answers and receive two free AMC movie tickets courtesy of the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger. … Until next week, peace!

Dennis Winn can be reached at 703-200-4928 or YaHeard40@gmail.com.