Hip Hop's Influence on the 2012 Election
Nicki Minaj isn't the only star to get political.
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Hip Hop's Influence on the 2012 Election - Say it ain't so, Barbz. Nicki Minaj surprised many fans earlier this week with her verse on "Mercy," from Lil Wayne's Dedication 4 mixtape, which seemingly endorses Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. "I'm a Republican voting for Mitt Romney/You lazy b---hes is f---ing up the economy," she raps. But this is just the latest example of hip hop injecting itself into the hotly contested 2012 election. Click on to see more examples of rappers who "connect politick ditto."(Photos from left: Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank, Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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Barack Drops in on Jay-Z's Made in America Festival - Jay, a longtime strong Obama loyalist (check his verse on Jeezy's "My President Is Black"), recruited the prez to deliver a personalized video message to the tens of thousands of fans gathered at his Made in America festival last weekend, urging them to vote. (Photos from left: Jemal Countess/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Kendrick Lamar Disses Voting - K-Dot sparked a mini firestorm last week when he said he ballyhooed the ballot box. "I don't vote. I don’t do no voting," he said. "What’s going on isn’t really in our hands. If it's not in the president's hands, then it's definitely not in our hands." (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Heineken)
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2 Chainz Rocks the Vote - The Hip Hop Caucus, a nonpartisan nonprofit that aims to empower young minority voters, recently tapped 2 Chainz to be their spokesperson. All I want for my birthday is a registration form. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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Lupe Fiasco Sitting 2012 Out - Lupe Fiasco, perhaps the most popular politically involved rapper today, ironically won't be getting involved in the 2012 election. “No, I don’t vote,” he said in an interview last year. “I don’t get involved in politics. It’s meaningless. If I’m going to say I stand behind this person and write on a piece of paper that says, ‘Yeah, I stand for this person,’ then I have to take responsibility for everything he does cause that’s just who I am as a human being.” (Photo: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
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