Jay Z doesn’t do anything for the hell of it. As he’s so fond of reminding us, he’s from the Brooklyn that was “get money or die,” and from Marcy when the projects smelled of fever. So let’s not sit here and act like he’s just going to help out. This is the third-straight election that he’s decided to directly intervene on. He jumped in both of Obama’s runs in 2008 and 2012.
The ’08 support was about marrying hip-hop and the presidency. Both Jay and the POTUS hitched themselves to each other’s wagons in an unprecedented way. For Hov, it was his “My President is Black (Remix),” and being seated front-and-center at the Obama’s inauguration. In 2012, it appeared in the form of a $40,000 per person fundraiser that helped line the POTUS’ coffers to the tune of $4 million. His influence is colossal. He stands as an ambassador for the kind of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” rhetoric that Republicans would salivate over. So when he joined LeBron James in Ohio in 2008 for the Last Chance for Change concert, the successful marketing pull put us on red-alert: Is Jigga man sizing us up for a jump into politics one day?
He’s got a history of doing one thing to prepare him for another. For example, he became the face of the hotly-debated Barclays Center deal in New York, only for us to find out he used that footstool for Roc Nation Sports. Another time was when lots of concerts, promos and hand-wringing led to Jay’s supposed “retirement,” which hid his inevitable deal to buy back his masters, become president of Def Jam and dismantle Roc-A-Fella records. He’s a master of the bait and switch. He’s the champion of feigning hard in one direction in order to cover up the real point of his plans. It’s a work of cold-hearted art, really.
From Frank White to Frank Underwood?
Hilary Clinton needs all the help she can get. Not only is sexism warping the reality of her qualifications for a swath of voters, but her inability to properly market herself to black millennials is troubling. This is especially worrisome as the home stretch looms for the aspiring POTUS. So it should come as no surprise that BuzzFeed confirms that she’s told her staff to do whatever it takes to make this “closing argument” a winner.
Jay Z being a part of should be part of that great big plan is a no-brainer. Mr. Carter has come down squarely against police brutality and carries the kind of cred among young, black voters that could actually tip scales for the #ImWithHer direction come Election Day. With that said, don’t you dare think for one second that Shawn Corey Carter is unaware that these “favors” will be remembered at some point down the line. With the political arena completely upended by Donald Trump, there may not be a better time for Jay to flex his political hopes.
