White Rappers, Politics, and History

I appreciate political banter. I am not always the first one to jump in to the conversation, but that is not to say I dislike the forum of discussion it creates. This election has grown to be more than just "another" presidential election and, because of that, the noise surrounding the election has grown as well. After all, it is an historic event. Regardless of our personal feelings about Clinton or Obama, we are witnesses to an electoral journey that has never happened before. And maybe it is just me, but I think it is a shame when people let the incessant noise emanating from this banter distract them from the aforementioned point. Yet even with all the ruckus of Obama's poor bowling skills or his controversial preacher or the feedback surrounding Clinton's wardrobe or seemingly wild-eyed husband, I think there are the proverbial roses to stop and smell. This entry is to help us sniff a few of them.

I remember a conversation I had a while back with Nate Baker. We were talking about different hip-hop artists and he made an interesting observation. To paraphrase him, he thought that rappers like Eminem, Paul Wall, and Bubba Sparxxx were some of the most proficient, creative, and innovative lyricists in the genre. From my own (and take that for what its worth) estimation and that of some hip-hop critics and fans, he is right. As he continued to wax philosophical, Nate said he believed that these rappers had to go above and beyond the normal standard used to evaluate other rappers because of the stigma that came with being white in a world where that is not the norm. In other words, he thought they had to become better at their craft than other people just to get the same recognition.

Another example (and maybe a more apropos example because it is not as racially backward, all things being considered) is that of Jackie Robinson. In 1947, he became the first black baseball player to suit up in the modern era. Some may say he was not the best black player at the time as the negro leagues were rife with talented ball players, but one thing is for sure; Jackie was no slouch. In 1947 he won Rookie of the Year. In 1949 he won the National League MVP award. He made 6 All-Star teams and was a member of 6 World Series teams. For his career he hit .311 and had over 1,500 hits. To sum all of this up, he was very, very good (Important Note: He did this all under intense, racial scrutiny, the likes of which most, including myself, will never be able to fathom). The point is this: the benefits of signing and playing Jackie had to be seen as higher than the costs and the costs of doing what the Dodgers did at that time were enormous. So, Jackie had to be good enough that some organization would take the supreme risk of signing him and playing him even though no team had ever taken that risk before.

So if the Jackie-theory (I like that term better than the "white rapper-theory", although that one works too) applies to this presidential election. Some may not like Clinton or Obama, and whether that be because of political ideas, personality flaws, or whatever other real or fabricated reason matters not to this conversation. What matters is that both are extra-ordinary in their own right. They are making history each day as they try and chase the Democratic nomination for becoming President of this country and it is a shame if we don't take a step back and admire them for what they have accomplished. Dave Chappelle once said, "My Grandma told me to never be the first to do anything." His grandma most have understood the stress, persecution, and difficulty it takes to be the first __________ (Fill in blank with whatever you like, i.e. white rapper, black baseball player, etc.) So thank you to both Clinton and Obama for confronting the challenges they have faced, continually having risen to overcome them, and allowing us to have a front row seat to history.