Former President Barack Obama is preparing the release of his memoir, A Promised Land. In the days leading up to its release, he has made himself for a number of interviews ranging from CBS to Apple. Most recently, he sat down with The Atlantic to discuss his book, the latest election and his life after his presidency.
During the interview, he touched on the increase in Black male support for President Donald Trump during the latest election. In 2008, Obama earned the supporters of 95% Black male voters. Four years later, it slipped from 95% to 87%. Since then, Black male support for Democratic candidates has steadily dropped. Former Sen. Hilary Clinton earned just 82% of votes from Black men. This time around, only 80% of Black male voters supported former Vice President Joe Biden.
Some of the biggest supporters of the President are Black male rappers. Most notably, Lil' Wayne, Waka Flocka Flame and Kanye West have been criticized for supporting President Donald Trump. Ice Cube also caught flack for working with Trump on his "Platinum Plan" for Black Americans. Obama believes that support for the polarizing President may have been driven by materialism.
“It’s interesting—people are writing about the fact that Trump increased his support among Black men [in the 2020 presidential election], and the occasional rapper who supported Trump. I have to remind myself that if you listen to rap music, it’s all about the bling, the women, the money,” he said.
“A lot of rap videos are using the same measures of what it means to be successful as Donald Trump is. Everything is gold-plated. That insinuates itself and seeps into the culture.”
In the past, Obama's campaigns have been partially driven by rappers. Diddy, Jay-Z, Jeezy and several others have offered their support for the first Black President.
A Promised Land will be made available on November 17.
Photo: Getty Images