It was Oct. 22, 2015, and all eyes were fixated on Hillary Clinton. Six months after the former Secretary of State had formally announced her presidential campaign, everything was suddenly at stake; on this day, her trustworthiness would be dissected before the House select committee regarding the terrorist attack that left four American diplomatic personnel dead in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. To imply that the air was thick with tension would be a dramatic understatement. After weathering hours of probing on her involvement in the incident, Clinton received a much-needed break and exchanged handshakes with a small group of reporters as a gesture of thanks for "having her back." She then turned to one reporter and asked, "Are you going to come to my Katy Perry concert?"
At a surface level, the question seemed innocent enough, yet its presence at such a crucial moment in the election cycle hinted at something far more intriguing. Some of the biggest albums in recent years have drawn extensively from the political climate for source material; consider, for instance, Kendrick Lamar's passionate defense of the black American experience on To Pimp a Butterfly or Lady Gaga's rally for gay rights on Born This Way. Arguing this inherent nature of creative work would be futile—as author Toni Morrison once said, "All good art is political. There is none that isn't." However, the 2016 presidential primaries have illustrated an entirely different phenomenon: this time around, politicians are relying on the music to carry their weight.
A month following Clinton's Benghazi hearing, rapper Killer Mike and Bernie Sanders were spotted grabbing soul food at Busy Bee in Atlanta, Mike's hometown. Later that night, Mike came forward as one of Sanders' then most staunch supporters at a rally, saying, "I don't trust the government...but after spending five hours with someone who has spent the last 50 years radically fighting for your rights and mine, I am very proud to announce the next president, Bernie Sanders." Mike's support could not have came at a more crucial time. Though Sanders has long touted his involvement in the civil rights movement of the '60s before this exchange, he had struggled to connect with black voters. An interview with Mike served as a jolt of adrenaline to his campaign, giving him a chance to demonstrate his knowledge on issues facing the black community and aligned his name with a significant figure in the hip-hop community. In conversation with The Daily Beast, Nas confessed that the Killer Mike interview left him gravitating towards Sanders.
Soon afterwards, a number of musicians gradually came out of the woodwork, primarily out of the varying sects of indie music, to vocally express their support for Sanders on social media, including Lil B, Grimes, and Diplo— the latter of which lent his 2013 track "Revolution" to a recent Sanders campaign ad. As the uphill momentum required for Sanders to win became even more apparent, the support quickly mobilized to a larger scale. Benefit concerts across the country were organized with the intent of raising funds for the grassroots campaign. A two-day festival was held at Brooklyn venue Baby's All Right in January where indie acts ranging from Wet, Frankie Cosmos, and Mas Ysa banded together in solidarity for Sanders, while the Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined a concert at Los Angeles' Ace Hotel. Along the campaign trail, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig made his sentiments heard, along with Bon Iver'sJustin Vernon, whose rare public appearance introducing Sanders at a Wisconsin rally was a massive win for the senator. Each of these endorsements has helped to further cultivate Sanders' persona; if some of the most well-known underdogs of the music sphere believe in him, perhaps that speaks to the kind of supporter Sanders needs to win the primary.
That night, before Vernon's speech, another event was unfolding across the country in Newark, N.J.: BET's annual Black Girls Rock awards show, and Hillary Clinton was there to introduce the show's founder, Beverly Bond. "There are still a lot of barriers holding back African-Americans and black women in particular," said Clinton, "So a gathering like this filled with so many powerful, strong women is a rebuke to every single one of those barriers." It should be noted that Rihanna, an honoree at the event, was reportedly not enthused by Clinton's appearance, and nor was much of Black Twitter, who dubbed her presence as "pandering" and "disingenuous." It was the latest in a string of appeals to an urban voter base in a campaign that has included dabbing, doing the Whip and Nae Nae, and countless yassssss'.
The amount of "Girl bye" in this picture just amazes me. The black unity..... #blackgirlsrock pic.twitter.com/QVOsHEqBRa
Still, despite these criticisms, tapping into black culture seems to not have hurt Clinton, as she continues to lead the black vote. Even more, she's received tremendous support from some of the most powerful artists today. During an appearance on Ellen, Pharrell threw his vote behind Clinton, stating, "It's time for a woman." Her biggest endorsements have likely yet to be revealed, too. Clinton, who was once quoted as saying she "wants to be as good a president as Beyoncé is a performer," was reportedly spotted on set of a music video for the singer's forthcoming album and notoriously dropped $15,000 at Jay Z's 40/40 Club in October. Kanye West is also reportedly one of the top donors to her campaign. Clinton's benefit concerts have been significantly less modest than Sanders', including a recent night with Katy Perry and Elton John at Radio City Music Hall where the cheapest seats were listed in the triple digits. There's no denying that she's got some huge star power behind her, and with these kind of connections, expect for some of the biggest voices in the room to make their pick heard in the coming months.
Not surprisingly, star power has been seriously lacking on the Republican side of the spectrum this election. Save for provocateur Azealia Banks—who told Marlow Stern of The Daily Beast that Trump's dictator-like propositions are "an EXCELLENT thing because it means there aren't any deep rooted political causes for him to fight for"—Trump has had a difficult time securing credible artists to back up his often-inflammatory campaign. For example, when Foxy Brown was misquoted as saying she supports Trump, she was quick to describe the report as sensational. Nipsey Hussle and YG deemed him "a cancer" on "Fuck Donald Trump," perhaps the most intentionally charged up track to come out of the election thus far. This is, of course, not counting "The Official Donald Trump Jam" by the Freedom Girls.
Still, music has played an important, albeit pugnacious role in Trump's campaign; he's decided that if he can't get the artist on his side, he'll use them to his advantage anyway. When Adele rebuked his use of her tracks at his rallies, he responded by landing his helicopter in Arkansas to her song "Skyfall" just days later, Politico reports. By utilizing his branded defiance in the face of the arts, he's helped to further cement his supporters within his rhetoric, for better or for worse. As for Ted Cruz, the Canadian-born candidate notoriously severed most ties to the music community by decrying rock's response to 9/11, saying he ceased listening in favor of country music. His total lack of endorsement from musicians reflects his stance on secular culture, something he'll have to adapt to if he hopes to court the millennial vote.
As November beckons, we can certainly expect to see each of these trends amplify—more alternative artistry for Sanders, more big names for Clinton, and a much more aggressive divide between Trump, Cruz, and music culture. While the music community continues to shift in response to the candidates, the overarching question intensifies in clarity: if politics and music are going into this election together, who's ultimately going to win?
