Donald Trump may have rallied an unprecedented amount of support for his presidential campaign, but not so much within the music industry. In fact, more often than not, we hear about the artists who are actively opposed to him and his politics. While Barack Obama seems to only feature in the music press for his cool, eclectic taste in listening material, Trump has impacted music journalism far more than many other politicians – and much more negatively.

His run for office has been littered with pissed off musicians, as he appropriates their songs without permission or support. Dubbed the “Orange Clown” by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Stipe also advised Trump to go fuck himself after It’s The End Of The World… was used at a Tea Party rally. Adele, Neil Young, Aerosmith; all well publicised for denying Trump the use of their music. But even further than that, we are seeing more and more musicians speak out directly against Trump as a political candidate, and even produce anti-Trump music.

Eminem’s latest release Campaign Speech hit just this week, an eight minute long political tirade that pointedly rips at Trump. So much so that most of the coverage has focused exclusively on the anti-Trump messaging. Death Cab For Cutie also released their own anti-Trump narrative track, Million Dollar Loan, this week. Even The White Stripes reunited to release “Icky Trump” merch, playing on their 2007 album title Icky Thump. 

For anyone mourning the decline of protest music, these really are incredible rallies from artists against a political situation. In particularly vicious move, Kanye West’s producer Mike Dean ran with the vile recordings of Trump that came to light recently, remixing his words into “The Official Donald Trump Jam”; GRAB EM BY DA PUSSY. 

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/286692523″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

So what do all these artists have in common, besides an understandable distaste for the Orange Clown? So far, the artists really addressing the specifics or Trump’s politics are mostly men. Of course, there are a number of female musicians making their political voices heard, taking to social media to express what so much of the rest of the world is thinking. But very few female artists are making the same direct statements or going as far as to produce anti-Trump material.

Cher’s twitter feed has been consistently filled with short but sharp rants against Trump. Miley Cyrus has also made her concerns very clear, and her fear for America if Trump were to become President. Adele forbade the use of her music, and Madonna even had a piñata made in Trump’s likeness for her son to take a few swings at on his birthday.

https://twitter.com/cher/status/788243251220262912

Any musician taking a political stance knows that aligning themselves politically is likely to cost them fans – and ultimately sales – somewhere. Commonly known as “shut up and sing” syndrome, not every music fan wants to mix politics with entertainment. And as musicians, no artist should feel bound to get involved in a political discussion.

However, we have to ask the question why female artists are seemly more hesitant to take a more outspoken stance against Donald Trump? And we do need to ask because Trump can easily be held up as the most openly sexist and misogynistic presidential candidate in recent history. One whose political aspirations are not fantastic, but a man who is actually in the final running for leadership of one of the most influential nations.

In the last month alone, we have been privy to the disgusting “locker room banter” that pretty much advocated the assault of women, and insulted them with the idea that women will accept sexual advances unasked and purely because of a man’s celebrity. And any woman listening to the most recent debate cannot fail to have been frustrated to the point of yelling at their computer as Trump embarked on his ill informed, scaremongering tirade against abortion rights. A C-Section is a very different thing to an abortion, you orange faced prick… And that doesn’t even begin to cover the many horrendous comments Trump has made over the years.

Donald Trump

Image via Facebook

Like it or not, The Official Donald Trump Jam is more than direct, and it is an undoubtedly incredible thing for an artist like Moby to call out Trump as “ a privileged piece of shit”. But why do male musicians appear to be more outspoken on what are definitely feminist issues?  Do their reactions get promoted more widely, or is it because women are not publicly voicing their concerns as openly?

Lady Gaga openly praised the women who came forward to accuse Donald Trump of sexual harassment and assault, in the midst of a number of people questioning why these women had not spoken out sooner. Perhaps the answer to that question is close to why female musicians find it that much harder to really speak out. Those women were immediately targeted, insulted, threatened and disbelieved.

https://twitter.com/TweetBrettMac/status/786449698517192705

https://twitter.com/libbysays66/status/786554601860325376

The fact that women who speak out are targeted more often, and more aggressively, than men who make similar statements, is pretty well documented. Especially across areas that are perceived to be male dominated. Politics is unfortunately still perceived by some as one of those areas, and conversely, women in music are too often seen as only ornamental. These two battles combined make for a peculiarly difficult arena for female artists to enter.

Powerful women in music are lauded for their confidence, the way they present their characters and the way the exhibit amazing self respect and integrity. Are those not the same attributes you might use to describe a powerful woman in politics? The entertainment industry has an inherent glamour, but that also shouldn’t devalue all of those things, or exclude women from having a political voice should they wish to.

https://twitter.com/adammanziel/status/787053492913397761

It’s actually understandable that they may not wish to. The price of celebrity could be calculated as lack of privacy plus social responsibility minus choice in the matter (and the answer does not equal pussy grabbing Donald, that was never part of the equation). However, as musicians, women – or anyone for that matter – are not obligated to become political figures. But faced with the possibility of Trump for president, I cannot help but wonder if female artists are holding back from being as outspoken as their male counterparts?

Gender should never restrict who speaks out for what causes; feminism is not only for women, LGBTQ rights are not only to be championed by those who identify as part of that community, and minorities should not be the only ones fighting against discrimination. But as a woman, how can you not be ready at least question such sexism and misogyny in a potential world leader?

With women in music advocating for feminism, like Lorde, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, it does seem that there should be more direct action from female artists. Generalised disdain is well and good, but it doesn’t address the actual threats that Trumps campaign really poses to women. It is more than frustrating to think that these women hold back because the damage to their careers will be exponentially bigger than to the men who champion the same causes. Or that they will face increased aggression and violence, simply by virtue of being women who dared to speak out.

Image: Indian Express

When I think of Donald Trump, I think he seems like a man who loves hip-hop and is both knowledgeable and passionate about every aspect of hip-hop history and culture. I’m not the only one either, it seems. Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson stopped by the CNN studios to agree with my totally made up and fabricated statement.

If you’re following the absurdity that is Trump’s presidential campaign, you might recognise Pierson’s name from her headline-grabbing excuses for Trump’s statements and behaviour. Her latest tirade blames hip-hop culture for Trump’s “locker room banter” in 2005.

“I do quite find it rich that we have Democrats and the left talking about rape culture, when they are the ones backed fully by Hollywood. This rape culture is purported by none other than the entertainment industry, none other than by hip-hop music, which can you hear on local radio stations, as well as network television which actually pushes this.” Watch the full video below.

Pierson went on to say that Trump is “a part of that hip-hop culture,” which is ludicrous (except if you count the dozens of songs he’s mentioned in). Trump being “a part of that hip-hop culture” is laughable. Trump being a part of basically any kind of culture at all is laughable, really. The lyrical references don’t make him a part of hip-hop culture, it’s just that he’s rich and money is obviously a hip-hop pillar. The only real connection I can see Trump having with hip-hop is his presumed hatred for the genre. Oh and there was that one time he had Lil’ Jon on The Apprentice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_ZPyEWiybw

Pierson is not the first Trump stand-in to blame hip-hop culture for his comments. Dr. Ben Carson mentioned his comments were on par with rap lyrics we hear today, but to blame anybody but Trump himself for his comments is unjustifiable.

Many presidential candidates have had much closer, often genuine ties to hip-hop and hip-hop artists, and have gone months/ years/ two terms in The White House without blaming hip-hop culture for anything they have said and/or done. Killer Mike interviewed and campaigned for Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton teamed up with Pusha T to drive voter registration, and Barack Obama has had many hip-hop stars perform at The White House, not to mention listing Kendrick Lamar and many other rappers and R&B artists as his favourites.

It’s not hip-hop’s fault. It’s yours, Donald.

Read our article on Hip-Hop vs. Donald Trump here.

Image: YouTube

Arguably Canada’s worst export, Nickelback have never really had the people’s support. At a time where it’s cool to hate them, even the Queensland police joined in saying that they are “wanted for crimes against music” before their Brisbane show in 2015. No one would ever think that there could be a replacement for the hatred we all have for the group, but it turns out, thanks to the presidential election there is one man who has stepped up to the plate; Donald Trump.

According to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, new polling from the Public Policy Polling (PPP) hilariously showed that everyones favourite Republican candidate Donald Trump is actually hated more than Nickelback, as well as lice, hipsters, root canals and traffic jams. But wait, wait, he does beat cockroaches and haemorrhoids – but only just, “It’s narrow, but a win is a win.” Once again amusingly, when women are asked the same question, they actually prefer cockroaches and hemorrhoids to Trump. Now that’s saying something.

To add fuel to the fire, we’ve even seen the YG and Nipsey Hussle track F-ck Donald Trump start to blow up, and this isn’t too much of a surprise thanks to Trump’s extremely sexist, misogynistic and racist opinions, echoing that of Hitler. Just remember, the people prefer this to Trump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0DU4DoPP4

Image: The Federalist

The discovery that an idol is, in fact, stood upon feet of clay is fairly common, if disappointing- and recent comments from KISS’ Gene Simmons seem to indicate that the rock god’s platform boots are filled with the stuff. As for specific substance, it appears that Simmons and arch-idiot Donald Trump have been wading in the same – the cement that’s lying ready to form the wall between America and Mexico.

Or at least that’s how it sounds. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the KISS frontman gave his own views on Trump, and how he has affected American politics. Simmons maintains that he does not support or endorse Trump, quickly pointing out that “He has said some very vile, unkind things”. And, while he does continue to discuss Trump in terms that do verge on admiration, to most readers reflexive disgust I would imagine, I do fully agree with him when he says “Don’t kid yourself” where Trump is concerned.

No matter how many cruel memes, articles and even app games we make, mocking Trump (or his hair), he has come too far to be ignored. Simmons describes Trump as “the truest political animal I’ve ever seen onstage,” before going on to quantify that accolade as this: “He has no speechwriters, no editing, no nothing. He’s actually on tape going ‘motherfucker.’ You cannot turn away.”

Gene Simmons

Image via CNN

It’s not exactly surprising that a member of KISS would be impressed by the lack of censorship and the sort of shock factor that Trump represents. But either way, you can’t deny that something in Trump’s presentation has captured vast amounts of Americans. In speaking fairly pragmatically about Trump as a political figure, Simmons manages to latch onto a very likely truth. The admission that, while his envisioned America seems so obviously awful to so many, Trump has tapped into ideas that millions of people do apparently agree with.

Asserting that “he’s good for the political system,” Simmons gave the media a perfect opportunity to nail him down in camp Trump. He continues; ”The middle, the centrists, they can say, ‘What do you think of this?’ because everybody is sick and tired of being politically correct.” And there is some truth to that statement, as political parties become increasingly less defined. However Simmons’ following comment has drawn the most attention.

“Secretly, tens of millions, perhaps 100 million people may actually have some positive feelings about a wall.” Simmons is a little unclear as to whether he personally supports Trumps idea to build a wall between America and Mexico, perhaps one of Trump’s most controversial ideas to date.

“Macedonia is building a wall between Greece and Macedonia,” he continues. “There’s a wall between Israel and a neighboring country. There was a Berlin Wall. There was the Great Wall of China. So whether they’re good or bad for people, walls actually work. It’s unkind, but in terms of pragmatics, it actually works … The Pope has said the wall is unkind, but it’s interesting that at the Vatican there’s a wall. They don’t want people on the outside coming into the Vatican.”

Simmons’ view that those walls “worked” is correct is questionable. They may have served a purpose, but the purpose that these walls achieved was not necessarily right to begin with. However, I do agree that Trump is clearly saying what a surprisingly vast number of people apparently want to hear.

Donald Trump

Image via In These Times

Something about Trump has caught America. Whether it’s his unorthodox persona and approach, his highly emotional campaigning, or his ability to dress up unpalatable policies as a kind of “I’m simply saying what you’re all thinking,” Trump’s campaign seems to offer solutions where American’s have lost faith in their political leaders. And numbers of Americans, in turn, seem to be jumping at those solutions.

Simmons maintains that “Trump is not a politician. He does not need your money, and he will speak his mind, God damn it, whether you like it or not. And he has no problem saying ‘Fuck off’… I like that, even if I disagree.” And in some ways I can see his point, the idea of an assertive and real politician is so unlike the clean-cut mouth pieces that lead politics today.

But I would edit Simmons statement to this; Trump could be good for the political system. Trump could be the catalyst for American politicians to truly fight hard for their beliefs and ideas.  He could also be the threat that actually demands vanquishing. The threat of Trump’s American dream should surely be enough kill the apathy within politics, and to spark some real passion to offer up a different solution – one that isn’t half as scary.

Image via Rolling Stone

The U.S presidential election has had some pretty harsh and divisive battle lines drawn up over so many issues, that by the time the actual general election comes around, it won’t be a surprise if it ends up being decided by a tag team no-holds-barred-tag-team wrestling match on an oil rig off the Mexican Coast between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Luckily, one man is stepping up to bring some inspired ‘no fucks were given’ sensibility to the whole mess.

According to Billboard, in news that should surprise absolutely no one, Arizona native Travis Gaardner had his rear end made the canvas for a giant stamp of Republican Presidential nominee front runner, Donald Drumpf Trump, to win free tickets to country music concerts for a year.

No, really.

It was a contest run by the ‘The Ben and Matt Show’, on Phoenix radio station KNIX-FM. What’s even more astounding (or not) is that this isn’t even the first instance of someone desiccating a part of their body with Trump’s perpetually plagued-with-minor-constipation face.

Billboard goes further, with the man saying he really wanted those free tickets, deformity of his ass be damned. He admitted that “the only reason why I did it was for the concert tickets,” adding, “Any of ’em would do for me. I just like music.” Certainly there will be no questioning his love of music after this effort. If only the remaining nominees could say the same for themselves.

Despite the obvious assumptions, Travis is not a Trump supporter, nor does he himself parading his new piece of art at any rallies, citing the violence that’s marred these events

This glorious time lapse video shows the creation of what should be the official logo of Trump’s campaign.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqpaKAN5yhw]

The show also called Travis’s mother to let her know of the ‘Trump Stamp’ and she took the news a lot better than her son was expecting.

In the months leading up to the 2008 American presidential election, I was living in the middle of Nebraska and remember seeing pro-Obama pickets in people’s front yards. Just a few days later, these same pickets had been vandalised with racist slogans. Around the same time, I remember getting into fights with other students because they were saying all sorts of racist things about some of my teammates; they referred to me as a “n***** lover” for protecting my point guard. I wondered then – if America ended up having a Black president, would any of that mindset change?

All that racism didn’t stop Obama in the end; he won and (most of) my dorm erupted in celebration. We drank (sorry, coach) and smoked (sorry, mum) all night in hope of “change” from here on out. And there was change – Obama has done a lot of good. Unfortunately, eight years on, a lot of America’s mindset seems to have remained unchanged, and they are moving dangerously close to allowing the Hitler-esque Donald Trump to become a serious contender in the 2016 presidential race.

Luckily, people are taking a stand. American citizens of all backgrounds are attending Trump rallies with camera phones, ready to expose just how racist and dangerous Trump’s views are towards people of colour. And it is not only your average citizen taking it upon themselves to do so: it seems the entire hip-hop community is helping to create public awareness around this issue.

Rappers are doing more than just exposing Trump – they are also asking people to vote. It is good to see rappers like T.I. guiding America’s youth with a call-to-action for them to go out and vote this year. “Failing to vote is a vote for this clown,” T.I. wrote on Instagram. This is an important message to spread, and I remember some of my African-American teammates saying, “If Obama doesn’t win, then the country is full of racists” – but nobody could tell me his policies, and none of them were registered to vote, and the ones that were only did it for cheaper tuition fees.

T.I. is not the only one, and one of hip-hop’s more out spoken members, Killer Mike, has backed Bernie Sanders since the beginning of the race.

Killer Mike interviewed Sanders late last year, and discussed with him a broad range of issues, including the alarming racism that has emerged at Trump rallies across the country. “I played Mexico City … and I yelled, ‘Fuck Trump!’ and basically 20,000 Mexican citizens repeated it,” Killer Mike told Sanders.

https://youtu.be/fk8OYHcHBX8?list=PLkRT6sInhvHVb96gl-uxn2LxBqEL4Iv9A

Last week, the people of Chicago took to the streets and protested Trump’s rally. After successfully forcing Trump to call off the rally, the protestors began to chant “We gon’ be alright,” from Kendrick Lamar’s Alright. This upset not only Trump but also Trump Jr. (God help us, there is more than one). But not to worry, as John Legend, with an elegant straight-to-the-point Tweet, has put the Junior Satanist in his place:

A number of other hip-hop artists have also been vocal in their rejection of Trump’s candidacy. Rapper (and fellow 2016 Presidential candidate – yes, seriously) Waka Flocka Flame took to Twitter to let Trump know that what he said about Mexican immigrants being criminals was downright ignorant and untrue. Will Smith also threatened to run in the election to prevent Trump from winning (and perhaps a more realistic candidate than Waka Flocka and Kanye 2020), saying: “If people keep saying all the crazy stuff that they have been saying on the news lately about walls and Muslims… they are going to force me into the political arena. I gotta be the president. What else would I run for?”

In an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, last year, Atlanta rapper/singer Raury wore a Mexican soccer jersey with the word ‘Trump’ written on the back and crossed out with a big red line. This might seem like minor statement, but was a very bold move considering Trump was on the show earlier that same evening. Raury later told Vice that his decision to wear the jersey was because “Trump embodies separation, solving problems with anger, fear and personal differences,” while he is about the opposite, being inclusive and open.

raury

Image from Vice

Mac Miller meanwhile may have hip-hop’s longest running beef with Trump. After Trump threatened to sue Miller for using his name in his hit song, Donald Trump, Miller has blasted him repeatedly on Twitter and has taken it a step further in a recent appearance on The Nightly Show – check it out below:

https://youtu.be/Zm8ISls_TBA

In the midst of all that’s going on surrounding Trump, it seems that no matter who you are or what you are doing, hip-hop is ready to stand behind you to fight for this common cause. This week, protestor Thomas DiMassimo made the news when he attempted to charge at Trump on Saturday in Dayton, Ohio, and was captured by Trump’s security. During the altercation, his Dreamville shirt was ripped, and he was straight devo about it. But Dreamville applauded his efforts and offered him a box of Dreamville gear to replace the torn shirt. This is one of those heartfelt stories that everyone in the world has now heard, like the man who gets yearly visits from the penguin he raised (if you don’t know that story, I suggest you read up right now).

Hip-hop is one of the strongest voices of today’s generation; their influence on society is forever growing. Every day another rapper joins the battle to stop Trump, and hopefully, in return, every day another one of America’s youth signs up to vote.

Image: Pintrest

Azealia Banks is a force to be reckoned with. Nary an artist has not felt the wrath of her sharp tongue on Twitter. But now, she has turned her acerbic insights to the upcoming Presidential election. In an epic Twitter rant that would put Kanye West to shame, the feisty rapper explained why she was voting for Republican frontrunner Donald Trump while throwing shade at the other potential candidates.

Banks explained her choice was the lesser-of-two-evils path, saying that Hilary Clinton was in the pockets of others, while Bernie Sanders had no influence or power.

Banks seems to really not like the Democrat candidates, going on to say they don’t truly care about the plight of minorities.

Heavy stuff… What follows is a stream-of-consciousness, anti-capitalist, nihilistic rant about the doomed fate of America under any new leadership.

Therefore Banks believes we may as well put a ‘piece of shit’ like Trump in the White House.

Banks then goes onto talk about a conversation she had with a friend about the systemic oppression and racism propping up the illusion of the ‘American Dream’.

The conclusion Banks comes to like the rest of us is that, yes, Trump is evil, and ‘America is evil’ and America needs to be… more evil?

The inevitable backlash Banks faced from her followers prompted her to reaffirm her position on the matter by explaining, “No, to sum up my rant the USA owes my people reparations so I can round them up and get the fuck out of here … And to sum up my rant: I am saying that politicians are inherently evil, I trust the one who is most transparent.”

While Trump is indeed very upfront about his views on things, that doesn’t necessarily translate to transparency. Banks is a vocal advocate of race and gender inequality, so how can she support someone who openly mocks prominent female journalists for doing their jobs and wants to build a wall between Mexico and the U.S?

While Banks continues to keep to Twitter feed ticking over with her colossal outbursts, she has dodged assault charges relating to an altercation she had with a L.A nightclub bouncer back in October.

The Harlem emcee allegedly attacked the bouncer after she was asked to leave Break Room 86 due to ‘unruly behaviour.’ The case was thrown out due to the amount of individuals involved and it was unclear who exactly instigated the brawl.

However, this outburst was followed by another squabble, with Banks reportedly punching and biting the breast of a female security guard at New York’s Up & Down. She was arrested on a third-degree misdemeanour charge and even made it to Page Six. Apart from that, she’s also called a flight attendant a ‘faggot’. Charming. 

Banks ended her Presidential rant with the revelation that her upcoming record will be called THE BIG BEAT and will be released on February 7.

 Source: Aceshowbiz

Donald Trump has met his fare share of critics over the years, but none so good with their words as Atlanta rapper/singer Raury. In his first ever late-night interview, Raury (full name Raury Alexander Tullis) used the opportunity to make a statement about one of the most divisive presidential candidates in history on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Exploding into his performance of Devil’s Whisper, Raury exudes a soulful musicality that somehow manages to eclipse its recorded counterpart. Midway during the performance, Raury turns around, and emblazoned on his green soccer jersey is the word ‘TRUMP’ with a red cross through it. Not satisfied with his exemplary display of vocal gymnastics, Raury picks up the drumsticks and goes to town.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9uh1LQv4gk&w=560&h=315]

Interestingly enough, the green soccer jersey is that of Mexico’s, which could be a savvy political criticism of Trump’s plan to make Mexico pay to erect a border between the US and itself.

“We are going to build a wall. You’re going to pay for the wall,” the bloated human carrot said he would tell the Mexican government. “The wall itself, we own.”

Ambitious.

Speaking to Vice, Raury explained that his decision to wear the jersey was because “Trump embodies separation, solving problems with anger, fear and personal differences”.

“I’m all about the opposite, about being inclusive and open,” said Raury.

Choosing to sing Devil’s Whisper was also a bold choice, singing in the chorus ‘You better run, run from the devil’. Wonder who the devil is…

Even bolder was the fact that Donald Trump was on the show earlier that evening. The GOP forerunner was roasted by Colbert, who personally thank Trump for running, saying, “I’m not going to say this stuff writes itself, but you certainly do deliver it on time every day.”

Raury joins a long list of sensational hip hop acts to grace The Late Show stage recently. Run The Jewels and Kendrick Lamar appeared in the first two weeks of Colbert’s debut as host of the Late Show. Whoever is organising their musical guests is doing a bang up job.

More: check out our interview and photo shoot with Raury!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoI2C6pW9AQ