Lil Wayne's Reagan Shout-Out
Is Lil Wayne really a talented political seer? How else can you explain Congress acting on his Ronald Reagan shout-out?I’ve written elsewhere on FrumForum about the intersection between rap and politics. But a recent lyric from hip-hop icon Lil Wayne caught my ear the other day.
North Carolina Congressman Patrick McHenry, best known as the ranking Republican on the census portfolio, recently made some waves in Washington with a proposal to put President Ronald Reagan on the fifty dollar bill.
Way back in 2005, New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, now serving a year-long jail sentence for gun possession, said the following in a verse he contributed to Kanye West’s ‘Barry Bonds’:
“I’m all about my Franklins, Lincolns and Reagans/whenever they make them/I shall hate them/Ooops, I mean have them.”
It may be that the rapper’s predictions will soon come to pass. Josh Khan, a spokesman for Congressman McHenry, tells FrumForum that the bill has momentum and already has seventeen co-sponsors.
"Every generation needs its own heroes," McHenry said in a statement when he announced his bill. "One decade into the 21st century, it's time to honor the last great president of the 20th and give President Reagan a place beside presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy."
“The main reason that we introduced the bill was to try to spark a conversation before Reagan’s 100th birthday next year, and we’ve definitely succeeded in that,” said Josh Khan.
Who would have thought it? Lil Wayne’s early prediction is sure to rank him as one of the most underrated political commentators-slash-rappers in the United States. Why, he must be the most talented political seer since, well, Nastradamus.
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Speaking of political commentators-slash-rappers, Sean Hannity’s new book ‘Conservative Victory’ is now a New York Times #1 best-seller. Of course, this is due in no small part to recording artist T-Pain’s unequivocal endorsement of the book.
A recent video features Hannity with the auto-tune legend, the artist behind such hits as ‘Blame It (on the Alcohol)’ and ‘I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper)’.
For some strange reason, T-Pain was recently on location for one of Hannity’s book tour events. The video below shows T-Pain’s support for a “Conservative Victory [in] 2010”. T-Pain then follows up a plug for Hannity’s TV show with some inaudible exclamation and a self-promotional third-person name-drop:
“You can check out Hannity’s TV show. My wife got it on the DVR for me already so when I get home, that’s what we’re watchin’ [inaudible exclamation] ... Conservative victory 2010! Y’all already know what it is with Hannity, baby! Hey! T-Pain!”