GETTING POLITICAL
CAN THE POWER OF A SONG MAKE PEOPLE VOTE?
It has been a tumultuous couple of years in music in the United States, with a flood of recordings and statements pouring out from artists across a range of genres, from hip-hop to country, addressing hot-button political issues. The price can be steep for artists who speak out, but they are nonetheless weighing in amid a rising tide of anger over immigration policies, racial violence, sexual assault, LBGQT rights and the direction of the US itself.
Protest music or political statements by entertainers can’t necessarily be counted on to swing votes. But artists like Taylor Swift and Chance the Rapper are clearly hoping to do just that, as they speak to a fan base that intersects with 75 million millennials. Only one-third of that generation voted in the 2016 presidential election. That same year, voter turnout dipped to its lowest point in two decades, with only 55 per cent of voting-age citizens going to the polls.
So ostensibly, the increased political engagement of artists may not only alert some of their fans to the importance of the upcoming election but may even prompt some of those previously politically indifferent followers to actually cast a vote.
Or as Chance the Rapper predicted last month when he endorsed a little-known candidate, community activist Amara Enyia, for Chicago mayor: “We will see the largest 18-25 (year-old) voter turnout in Chicago history.”
“This is not your typical flash-in-the-pan endorsement,” Enyia said. The mayoral hopeful said Chance would campaign with her because of their mutual interest in helping Chicago’s mental health and educational institutions.
In recent years
Chance, aka Chancellor Bennett, has become nearly as well known for his civic activism, including a $1 million (Dhs3.7m) contribution to Chicago Public Schools and a charity concert for the Special Olympics, as he is his music. In many ways, he has become a leading example of a millennial artist who does not separate his responsibilities as a citizen and an activist from his music.
“In one sense an artist has to be aware of their influence and how it can affect people, and how it can affect people that might be more affected by it than you are,” Chance said in a wide-ranging Tribune interview a few months ago. “I think that a lot of the world needs to understand there is no separation between people and celebrities. Some people also happen to be celebrities, and they’re allowed to have an opinion. There is no hierarchy of value on that opinion. You shouldn’t be weird-