Along the lines of Lakshmi Chaudhry's thesis that "Raunch is Republican," I think it's also viable to make the claim that gangsta rap is increasingly Republican as well.
Here's 50 Cent's take on Kanye West's outburst about George Bush:
"I think people responded to [Hurricane Katrina] the best way they can," 50 told ContactMusic.com. "What Kanye West was saying, I don't know where that came from." Instead, 50 said, "The New Orleans disaster was meant to happen. It was an act of God."
We see here the apotheosis of Republican ideology. Because human agency has been completely dissolved, people just got to get in where they fit in. And what is simply is, no questions asked. There's only one perogative in this life, as mandated by capitalism: "Get Rich or Die Tryin'."
Maybe Chuck D can sit 50 down on his knee, and tell him about one of the greatest MCs ever: W.E.B. DuBois
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Brian Cook was an editor at In These Times from 2003 to 2009. He now works on the editorial staff of Playboy magazine.
