barack and hillary: a lesson in music

"Our goal is to have a country that's not divided by race. And my impression, as I travel around the country, is that that's the kind of country that most people want, as well, and that we all have prejudice, we all have certain suspicions or stereotypes about people who are different from us, whether it's religious or racial or ethnic, but what I think I found in the American people, I think there's a core decency there, where if they take the time, if they get the time to know individuals, then they want to judge those individuals by their character." - barack obama

The beauty of Barack Obama, in many ways, is very much what made Prince such a powerful and intriguing figure. No, with brotha Barack there's no lace, no four inch pumps, or endless parade of light skin singer/sluts. But what Barack does have in common with his purple badness is an image and sound that appeals to white America, while maintaining a certain level of authenticity with black America. If you go back to the height of Prince's career, he was able to win over black people without ever overtly catering to them. Prince made music, that happened to be black. But he never made black music. Prince's music always seemed to stretch the box of the typical black radio station format rather than fit perfectly into it. In fact, he created the Time and Vanity 6 as a way for him to do black music, because his solo stuff wasn't specific enough. Also, Prince made us think of the greats, Jimmy, James Brown, Jackie Wilson. Their voices all existed within his. In many ways, Prince always felt like the one we had been waiting for. The guy who could outsing the singers, out dance the dancers, and get as nasty on a guitar as any white boy in a rock band. Enter Barack Obama, like Prince, he has a mixed hertitage. His skin says he's black, his genes say he's very much something else as well. He has a smoothness about him that no one else seems to have. He can out talk the talkers, out common man the politicians, and still be a politician without leaving the common feeling left out. And he seems like the next great. Like a person of the same ilk as Malcolm, Martin, and JFK. His journey feels, predestined if you will. See, these aspirational type figures appeal to the idealism of white America , especially when they don't directly take on the topics of race. Prince was on some flower child unity sh*t, and Barack is on that everybody aboard, today's the perfect day to make a change thing. They seem to transcend race, without ever compromising their blackness. It would appear, on the surface at least, that Barack and Prince are somewhat the same brotha. The right sound, coupled with the right face, at just the right time.



Maybe Hillary Clinton is Teena Marie to Barack's Prince. You know, the white singer who gets black acceptance because she can hit the high notes. But can she? Or does she simply get a pass cause her husband Bill (Rick James), hit all the right notes and made it easier for people to except her as his protege? So far, it's yet to be seen. But lately, whenever you see Hillary Clinton, she's standing in front of a black choir, in front of a black audience, or in front of some non secular black leaders. It's like Teena coming out on stage for the first time standing in front of Rick's band. Even before she hits the first note, nobody is questioning her because of the people standing behind her. Hmmm. After taking New Hampshire, maybe Hillary is proving she can hit a note or two. And unlike Teena Marie who ONLY had a black following, Hillary appeals even more so to whites. Okay, so let's rethink this. Maybe Hillary is actualy more like Christina Aguillera, a white pop queen lusting to show black folks she can get down and dirty too. Either way, you get the point. Ultimately, black people will definitely support a white girl who can sang, and they'll also stand up in droves for someone they feel is the second coming. I think who gets the Deomorcratic nod will be less about who has the best album, and more about who can drop the hotter singles, Prince or Christina? Based on the last batch of singles by these two, I'd say this political race is still very much up for grabs. One luv.