Controversial issue: Celebrity, and recording artist, endorsment for Barak Obama.
Oscar winning actress Halle Berry in a Barak Obama t-shirt.
“Artist Ivey, son of rap singer Coolio, wear a Barack Obama T-shirt as he arrives at the NBC All-Star party in Beverly Hills, California July 20, 2008.”
A few weekends ago, I was watching another politically charged episode (go figure) in which some “no-name rapper” performed at the end of the show. I’m not much of a rap music fan, (it probably isn’t a coincidence that I still think McCain should have won), so I really had no idea what the guy’s name was… Anyways, blazed across his t-shirt was a colorful, graphic print of his homeboy, Barak. So, when I saw this, I just couldn’t get to thinking.
I wonder if without all of this celebrity endorsement and hype, if Obama still would have won the Presidency. To me, it is clear that the deciding factor in this election was media coverage, and if every major music artist, actor/actress, and general celebrity have endorsed Obama, then of course more people are going to favor him. It all has to do with the fascination that Americans have with their favorite celebrities. Many admirers try their hardest to emulate these far off characters – buying the same clothing, reading their books, listening to only their music. I really do think that popular music singers hold a much bigger power in our country than what we think them to be.
A few days ago, I was having a conversation with my mother and mentioned the famous rapper “50 Cent”. Being the sheltered woman she is, she asked, “Who is that?”. I laughed when I explained that 50 Cent is a multi-platinum recording artist, rapper, and business entreprenuer who is worth tens of millions of dollar. “Oh.”, she replied dumbfoundedly. I also then explained to her that this influential figure in our society was a direct supporter of Barak Obama.
“No wonder why he won.”
Until next time… Go Team America
