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Home > Atlanta Music Scene > Archives > 2008 > July > 30 > Entry
Ludacris Offends Obama, Hillary and More - Says Obama Spokesman
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oh what another mixtape has wrought.
A song — really a two-minute verse — that Atlanta’s DJ Drama just started playing this past weekend on his syndicated Gangsta Grillz radio show, by Wednesday afternoon had drawn the attention of the presumed Democratic nominee for president, Barack Obama.
Why? Well the song is titled “Politics (Obama Is Here)”.
But the really inflammatory thing is that the rapper who did it — Atlanta’s Grammy-winning Ludacris — attacks Sen. Hilary Clinton, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Pres. George Bush. (Not to mention, Ludacris and Obama have been publicly supportive of each other).
“As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today too often perpetuate misogyny, materialism, and degrading images that he doesn’t want his daughters or any children exposed to,” said Obama spokesman Bill Burton on Ben Smith’s blog. “This song is not only outrageously offensive to Senator Clinton, Reverend Jackson, Senator McCain, and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our children with the values we hold dear. While Ludacris is a talented individual he should be ashamed of these lyrics.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Ludacris could not be reached; nor had he issued a statement, according to his record label publicist.
And Drama says he hadn’t heard the news until we told him.
“Are you serious?!” was the first response from the local tastemaker, who sometimes refers to himself as Barack O’Drama. (And as you may recall, was busted on still-unresolved charges of selling mixtapes that did not display the copyright holder’s name and address).
“Well, this involves two people I highly respect. And from a position of just believing in freedom of speech, I feel [Ludacris] expressed himself in a manner he felt necessary. I also know all eyes are on Barack Obama because of the position he’s in. So before someone like Fox News attaches him to it, [Obama] had to do he what he had to. I understand. I think Luda would understand. And it doesn’t change my opinion on who I’m going to vote for.”
The single can be heard on Ludacris’s web site wemix.com; and it is one of the tracks on Drama’s “Gangsta Grillz: The Preview”; a lead-up to Ludacris’s new album “Theater of the Mind.”
(Watch them talking about the collaboration — before the uproar — in this MTV interview )
Hear the reason behind all of the uproar on the YouTube video BELOW:
And of course, your thoughts?
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Ebony Queen
July 30, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this
It’s about time somebody said Something! I don’t dislike Ludacris but some of the stuff he says is offensive and outright ridiculous.
By Paul Wyatt
July 30, 2008 5:40 PM | Link to this
Drama is stupid as hell. He completely missed the point. Barack should stand up for decent folks and shame Luda for writing such hate filled, racist crap.