Obama, hip hop and a new black masculinity

When asked about the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States of America, the rapper Common suggested that this act would "change Hip Hop for the better" (McLaughlin 2008). During the campaign, Obama made a conscious effort to engage with the Hip Hop generation and many Hip Hop artists lent their support to Obama. This article discusses Obama's connections to the Hip Hop community with reference to Street's (2004) concept of the 'Celebrity Politician'. Also of interest is the effect Obama had on Hip Hop, particularly mainstream Hip Hop, where politics is not usually associated with any of the artists. Here Hip Hop changed to reflect the emergence of Obama on the global stage. In particular, some performances in mainstream Hip Hop changed to reflect less of a 'thug' image and instead promoted political engagement rather than Hip Hop's stereotypical tropes.