The Hot Sheet

The RNC is getting a Hip-Hop makeover

As a follow-up to our recent post about hip-hop’s important role in making politics engaging, yesterday our friend Carolyn pointed out there was an article in The Washington Times that indicates the newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele realizes that hip-hop is a force to be reckoned with — and a necessary one for the promotion of his party.

“We need messengers to really capture that region - young, Hispanic, black, a cross section … We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings.”

“It will be avant garde, technically,” he said. “It will come to table with things that will surprise everyone - off the hook.”

Though the hip-hop genre and culture has certainly grown in popularity to become more widely popular , I am wondering how artists and fans alike will respond to any fabricated attempts to harness their support this way. While one could argue that the popularization of modern hip-hop has led to a level of commercialization that might see itself as “message for hire”, I think that the very reason activism through hip-hop has been a compelling force is because the artists have had the room to talk about what is on their mind — whether it’s glorifying booty and bling or condemning violence and kids dying on the street.

As hip-hop is deliberately co-opted more and more as the best tool to target young and minority voters, will fans see through it all? Will they care?

-Carly