By: Dalan Carter
Kanye
West knocks Mitt Romney in the first song off Cruel
Summer,
the highly anticipated and recently released G.O.O.D. Music
compilation album.
"I'm
just trying to protect my stacks / Mitt Romney don't pay no tax,"
West raps on "To The World," a song which also features R.
Kelly. With that dig,
Kanye effectively joins the chorus of Romney watchers who want him to
release his tax records. While refusing to make public his returns,
the GOP nominee insists he has never paid less than a 13-percent tax
rate in the last decade. Nicki
Minaj also mentioned Romney in a song. On her and Lil Wayne's cover
of "Mercy," Minaj raps that she was voting for the GOP
hopeful ("I'm a Republican voting for Mitt Romney / You lazy
b----es is f---ing up the economy"). Most believed that Minaj
was being sarcastic, this sarcasm was confirmed by none other than
Barack Obama, who was asked about the song in an interview and said
that Nicki Minaj was playing a character. The rapper confirmed
Obama's theories in a series of ecstatic tweets.
Mitt
Romney has steadfastly refused to release more than his (likely
incomplete) 2010 tax return and his 2011 return, which the
campaign plans to release before Oct. 15,according to a Romney
adviser. Obama and Vice
President Joe Biden have each released 12 years of tax returns. Since
1980, only Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) released
just two years of tax returns, while all other major party candidates
have released at least five. Romney said
that he had never paid less than 13 percent in taxes over the past
ten years, rebuking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-Nev.), who
said a Bain Capital investor told him Romney
paid no taxes for
ten years. First Jay-Z and Beyonce, then Nicki, and now Kayne, which
likely means Romeny has lost the hip hop vote.
Thats interesting. I had no idea Yeezy put that out. I gotta check it out. Great article, Keep it up! Have you heard about the slip up statement Romney mad in an interview stating how he believed that minorities are freeloaders and think that they are entitled to everything? Check that out
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to witness how truly influential hip hop culture is globally. From fashion to language and now politics, a world typically operated under a white supremacist lens. In terms of Nicki Minaj, she is truly a disappointment. Watching her on television makes me feel like we are in a 21st Century minstrel show.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, I am anxious for this election yeah so that we keep our Team Obama alive.
http://www.eurweb.com/2012/09/obama-addresses-nicki-minajs-romney-endorsement-audio/
It is interesting to see how we can take any line from a rapper and think they are automatically serious. In Kanye's case he is outspoken enough to say what he said. In Nicki's case I believed she wasn't serious and just had to come up with something to rhyme.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how much influence hip hop has on our personal beliefs when it comes to politics. Sometimes I think we hear lines in a song and take it literally instead of checking the validity of the statements.
ReplyDeleteI didnt realize Romney hasn't released his taxes for the year. I makes the media and news suspicious like he would have something to hide. The fact that he was said that he didnt pay taxes was interesting. How can you speak for the people and represent the United States but yet don't pay taxes? Not a good look at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Kieran and Jamal, it is interesting to see the influence hip hop artists have on society and its even better to see the influence even stem into politics. There have been some attempts by hip hop artists to voice their opinion about the elections and getting out to vote such as the famous Diddy Vote OR Die campaign. And I say this with the highest hopes that the influence of Hip Hop does start to make a larger, more direct, conscious impact with our (African American) registration percentage of young adults in the upcoming and future elections. As for Romney, its crazy how he didn't pay any taxes and wants to run the country. If Trump can make Obama release his birth certificate, then someone can get Romney to release his tax information.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop and music has always had a an influence on are culture but their are very few that can related wordily events, news, etc and still make it appeal. Thats why Kanye is unique and is one of my favorite rappers. Because he knows he is one of the most looked upon and powerful people in his industry he uses his craft to appeal to all listeners so that they can feel his way of thinking. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Jamal Love said. Its funny how people really take every single word musicians say as reality. At the end of the day these people get paid to be entertainers. Some of the things they say might just be for entertainment.
ReplyDeleteInteresting read.
ReplyDeleteI did not know anything about Romney not paying taxes before i read this, however I do think its unfair for him to be paying taxes below his tax bracket. It just shows a lack of character and it shows him as a dishonest person.
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ReplyDeleteGreat blog post. This is my first time hearing about that and I am glad that Kanye put that in a song in an effort to get the message out.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite post. Romney is a hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the comments about Mitt Romney not paying his fair share of taxes which I adamantly agree with, I can't help but wonder the overall relevance. Much like the Obama, birth certificate ridiculousness, is this relevant to him leading the country? Or an even better question. Is 13% of 2 million dollars to much to pay the government? I know if I made 1 million a year, the government does not deserve 130,000. Not to mention the tax bracket for 1 million a year is almost 50% or 500,000!!! I wouldn't pay either! Although I think Mitt Romney is a bum, this seems like another distraction from the real focus which is the future of America.
ReplyDeleteI'm not very big on politics but I've noticed that many people haven't taken the time to research the candidates and the true facts about the campaign. Many people just side and agree with the majority or what the culture supports. The fact that a few rap lyrics can sway an individual's vote thus proves my point.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post ,its crazy how someone as rich as him has to cheat and go around the system while middle class people who takes up most of the taxes are striving to even meet end meat.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic. However, I believe that Romney lost the hip hop vote before he even announced that he was running for office. With Barack Obama being African American it would be extremely hard for the opponent to win the hip hop vote regardless of beliefs.
ReplyDelete-Jonathan Hamer