When you’re the president of the United States you travel a lot. The job even comes with your own plane. Now when you travel a lot, you probably spend a lot of time listening to your iPod. If you’re Barack Obama you are listening to Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Lil Wayne? Needless to say, some people are questioning some of the president’s musical preferences.
Mainly, it’s the fact that, there, among Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Yo-Yo Ma, and Sheryl Crow, are artists like Jay-Z and Ludacris. (Gasp! Oh No! The president listens to rap!)
Maybe some people are afraid that the next step will be for him to start wearing a gold chain or a bandana whenever he steps up to the podium. Fortunately, most of us know that listening to rap does not make you a rapper.
Let’s face it. Obama’s musical choices are more aligned with his age and the times than with race, political affiliation, educational level or intelligence. One of his all-time favorite artists is Stevie Wonder — can’t say I disagree with him there. The rest of the artists, like Earth, Wind, and Fire, Miles Davis, John Coletrane, The Rolling Stones, and Charlie Parker, are nothing different than what some of our parents might listen to.
Obama has expressed displeasure at the overall profane nature of rap. But he does credit it with being “culturally incisive” and “politically vital.” Obama, who is known for his intellect and not just his political charm, appears to believe that music is more than just a beat or a rhythm. His decision to listen to popular musical acts of the time, no matter how raw or unadulterated, shows that he understands that there is a powerful message there.
At the end of the day, when the president’s four years are up, we will not look at the decisions made during his time of office and make a correlation to the type of music he listened to. We can argue and debate about it all we want — if it’s right or if it’s wrong — but does it really matter? Does listening to rap make you a good or bad person? Well, what’s a good or bad person? Let’s just hope that, regardless of what’s on his iPod, the man in charge is going to do what’s best for this country.
