Obama 'brushes off' Ludacris over mixtape lyrics Stephen C. Webster

Published: Thursday July 31, 2008





Print This Email This The world is ready for change because Obama is here. Or, so rhymes rapper Ludacris in his new track "Politics," off the mixtape The Preview with DJ Drama. Though Sen. Barack Obama's prior welcoming of popular musicians has seemed as though a natural extension of his push for the presidency -- perhaps most memorable was his campaign's embracing of will.i.am's "Yes We Can" during the primary elections -- this latest track has garnered more of a finger-shaking than head-bobbing from the Democrat's campaign. "This song is not only outrageously offensive to Senator Clinton, Reverend Jackson, Senator McCain, and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our children with the values we hold dear," said Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign. What's so 'outrageously offensive'? "Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant," raps Ludacris, a lyric which drew much of the campaign's ire; though, Ludacris' lyrical attacks are not just reserved for the former first lady. In one stanza, he seems to threaten violence against lifelong activist Jesse Jackson, whose recent Obama-related controversy saw Fox News surreptitiously tape him claiming that he would like to "cut his nuts off" over what he'd perceived as Obama "talking down to black people." Rhymes Ludacris: "Jesse talking slick and apologizing for what?

If you said it then you meant it, how you want it head or gut?" Other barbs, aimed at President George W. Bush ("Yeah I said it 'cause Bush is mentally handicapped"), and Sen. John McCain ("McCain don't belong in any chair unless he's paralyzed"), are backed up by a call to ballot action by the rapper. "You can't stop what's bout to happen, we bout to make history

The first black president is destined and it's meant to be

The threats ain't fazing us, the nooses or the jokes

So get off your ass, black people, it's time to get out and vote!"

In a recent Rolling Stone feature, Obama disclosed the contents of his iPod, sharing artists' names like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z and even rapper Ludacris. "I'm old school, so generally, generally, I'm more of a jazz guy, a Miles Davis, a John Coltrane guy, more of a Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder kind of guy," said Obama. "But having said that, I'm current enough that on my iPod I've got a little bit of Jay-Z. I've got a little Beyonce." And not only is the potential commander-in-chief's iPod kicking beats better known to the MTV crowd than old conservatives, a January campaign appearance in Des Moines, Iowa saw the candidate stroll into a cheering hall of supporters with Jay-Z's "99 Problems" playing over the PA system. To complete the sentence, that full Jay-Z lyric is, "I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one." And in yet another high profile gesture to the hip-hop mentality, during a campaign stop in Raleigh, NC on April 17, 2008, Obama responded to attacks by Hillary Clinton during a prior debate with a simple, but evocative gesture. WATCH:



(Music added in post-production by video's author.) By brushing off his shoulders, Obama practically quoted the Jay-Z line from a song of the same name. Ever since then, his support by famous rappers has taken off. Recently, rapper Nas took to the Internet and streets of New York City, with the help of MoveOn.org and over 600,000 petition signers, to call out the Fox News network for its 'racist propaganda' and attacks against Obama. Nas also released a track called "Black President," becoming another in a growing line of rappers to pay tribute to the candidate. (Another high profile Obama-supporting song by Young Jeezy is expected to hit later this year.) In a new YouTube video, Obama tells a crowd of onlookers that his three-year-old daughter likes dancing to Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot," but that she had confused the lyrics, thinking the line was, "drop it like a sock." Just as soon as the candidate had spoken those words, the song began playing over the PA system, drawing cheers from the crowd, which Obama stoked by dancing to the beat. WATCH:

Excerpts from "Drop It Like It's Hot": "Oh you got a gun so you wanna pop back?

AK47 now nigga, stop that!

Cement shoes, now I'm on the move

You're family's crying, now you on the news

They can't find you, and now they miss you

Must I remind you I'm only here to twist you

Pistol whip you, dip you then flip you

Then dance to this motherf**king music we crip to" So, ultimately, what's the problem with Ludacris? "First of all, Obama is making a concerted effort to reach out to faith voters, especially Evangelicals," writes David Brody with the Christian Broadcasting Network. "But if you're going to allow your three year old daughter to listen to a song like that (no matter if she doesn't understand the lyrics) I think that will give faith voters pause. Forget faith voters. It may give others pause too." (with wire reports)