10 Rappers Who Should Run for President
Kanye West said last year that he was planning on running for President of the United States in 2020 and, hey, why not? At this point, anything is possible--would you have believed five years ago that Donald Trump would be the Republican nominee for POTUS? Probably not. So don't laugh too hard. This can go in a variety of ways.
But Yeezy's possible run--and the endless tragicomedy that has come from the Republican National Convention this week--got us thinking; who else in hip-hop would make an interesting presidential candidate? We came up with some possibilities.
So at the risk of speaking for a bunch of people who have never indicated in any way that they would even want to sit in the Oval Office, here are 10 rappers who we think should consider a White House run. None of these candidates are perfect, but--who is, right?
Chuck D
Chuck has been fighting the power for 30 years, so maybe he prefers to work outside the system more so than within it. But hasn't he always felt sorta like a president within hip-hop? Or at least the governor? We'd listen whenever he gave a speech and he could probably take those jerks in Congress down a peg or two.
David Banner
Banner is one of the most outspoken dudes in hip-hop right now. Like Chuck, he might be too outside the system to ever seek the Oval Office, but man--his campaign would be the trillest thang ever. Banner speaks at panels and keeps the community first--good qualities for anybody trying to push for change. Just might have to issue a statement about those "Play" lyrics. But hey--we can work around that.
Rhymefest
'Fest ran for for Chicago's 20th ward alderman back in 2010 and he was a Goodwill Hip-Hop Ambassador in 2006. The dude obviously has a nose for politics. Maybe him and Kanye can smooth things over and Fest can be Ye's campaign advisor, at the very least.
Queen Latifah
Latifah already feels sorta like a politician. She seems to be at every major event, she always seems to have the right thing to say whenever a mic is in her face, and a lot of people seem to really like her. Plus she's always had that sisterly vibe that makes you want to believe whatever she's saying. She'd get our vote.
Common
Common is a dude who has that affable everyman image. That's perfect for shakin' hands and kissin' babies that most politicians have to engage in. He's also got that smiling insincerity thing down pat. That's a must-have for any politician.
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef already ran for president in Haiti. So yeah. He was ruled ineligible because he hadn't been a resident in Haiti for the requisite five years, but he's a naturalized U.S. citizen so--why not go for the White House, Clef?
Hey--if Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger could become Governor of Calie-Forn-Ya, why couldn't Clef aim higher?
Will Smith
Yeah, we know he has this other job besides rapping, but Will Smith is still the guy who was once the Fresh Prince--and he already seems groomed for politics. He kisses the peoples' collective ass, he makes savvy moves behind-the-scenes, has a photogenic wife and seems to be able to get into the room with anybody. At the very least, he has to play Barack Obama at some point. Has to.
Jay Z
Doesn't Jay Z already feel like the president of hip-hop right now? He doesn't even feel like an artist anymore, he's a businessman and an ambassador. We really would love for this to happen just because the thought of Jay and Bey as POTUS and FLOTUS makes us giddy. Actually, Bey could run for prez herself.
Bun B
Bun B seems like the coolest uncle in hip-hop. And he's a man of the people as well as a lecturer at Rice University. The guy is vocal about politics, community and hip-hop. If Bun B wanted to run for mayor of Houston right now--he'd probably get a sizeable chunk of the votes. Bun B for Prez has a nice ring to it.
Killer Mike
Killer Mike spent this election year stumping for Bernie Sanders and keeping his voice in the mix on issues like Black Lives Matter and gun control, and he's never, ever shied away from speaking out in his music and everywhere else.