Rap has always been an inherently political genre – ever since its conception in the early 70’s there has been a socially conscious element. However, in recent years this aspect has been somewhat absent, especially when compared to the heyday of politically charged rap in the late 80’s and early 90’s. This could be considered a result of the increased commercialisation of the genre and the profitability of gangsta rap and other such sub-genres that glamorised the excessive lifestyles of rappers. In an interview with Hip Hop Wired on the demise of political rap [April 2016], Ice Cube claimed that at “about 1993, gatekeepers of the airwaves started to say, ‘That kind of political rap, really not gonna play that. Not really our style.” They started to play and promote the escapism type of rap. Sex, drugs, money, cars, women, clothes. Just all of the excess became more popular and more exposed.” This was going to be the trend for the rest of the 90’s and into the 2000’s. Even during the Bush administration, which provided ample opportunity for criticism of the hypocrisies of the American government, political rap remained underground.

In the last year or so however, this has changed. Political rap has sprung back and re-entered the mainstream. There are numerous reasons for this, among them the popularity of social media, an increase in the instance and media coverage of racially-charged police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement and most recently, the rise and election of Donald Trump. The internet has played a big part in affording artists an opportunity to voice themselves and their concerns to a larger audience. No longer must audiences get their hip hop via large corporations in the form of radio, record labels and MTV. Rap has been brought back to grassroots levels, just as it was in its early days. Take for example Chance the Rapper, an unsigned artist, who has let all his music be streamed for free, and is now nominated for seven Grammy’s.

This has come in tandem with a heightened public awareness of social and racial issues in America, particularly after the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012, and the media storm which followed it. In a survey carried out by the PEW research centre in 2015, that asked whether racism is “a big problem in America”, a total of 50% of respondents said it was. Compare this to a similar survey conducted by the Washington Post in 2009, where just over 25% of respondents claimed racism was a problem, and it becomes clear that there has been a shift in the public’s thinking on this issue. Americans today seem to be more aware of the inequalities in their society than they have been in even the recent past.

These factors came together in a manner that made 2015 the year of political rap’s re-emergence. Undoubtedly, the album that defined that year was Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. The album serves as a direct link to the political rap of the 90’s. In the closing track “Mortal Man”, Lamar creates a conversation between himself and Tupac, using audio taken from a 1994 interview with the late rapper. On being asked about the use of the Tupac interview, Lamar claimed that “The answers that Pac is giving are answers for today […] the world’s got to hear this, and they’ve got to hear it on a major scale.” His hit single “Alright” has gone on to become the unofficial anthem of Black Lives Matter, with marchers often chanting “we gon’ be alright” – mirroring the use of Pete Seeger’s “We Shall Overcome” during the civil rights movement of the 60’s. The impact of Lamar’s album has even reached the White House, with Barack Obama claiming that his favourite song off the album was “How Much a Dollar Cost?”

The momentum of political rap has continued into 2016. What has been most admirable has been the way in which rappers have been staunchly vocal on what has been perhaps the most heated election in decades. Not only have rappers made waves through their music – many were outspoken activists during the election. Killer Mike of Run the Jewels was an ardent supporter of Bernie Sanders throughout his campaign, even giving an introductory speech before Sanders’ appearance at an Atlanta rally. In an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he justified his support for Sanders by claiming that “we can directly elect someone who cares about poor people, women, gays, blacks – cares about lives that don’t look like himself. This opportunity in history is not going to come again.”

Perhaps one of the most scathing attacks on Donald Trump by a rapper was YG’s brashly titled “Fuck Donald Trump” – a song that was allegedly investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. The filming of the music video was shut down by the LAPD after those involved broke into a communal chant of the song’s title. In a 2016 Billboard interview regarding politics in rap, YG said: “this hip hop, this rap, we got a platform and we’re going to use it for the right shit. I ain’t hesitating no more.”

It’s not only the new generation of rappers that have embraced the political side of the genre. Veteran rappers have also come out in force to join the cause. Common’s most recent album Black America Again serves as both a celebration of black culture and the struggles that the community currently faces in the States. Just days after the election of Donald Trump, A Tribe Called Quest released the much needed single “We the People”. In  fearful time, looking towards an unsure future, Q-tip’s hook is all too resonant: “All you Black folks, you must go/ All you Mexicans, you must go/ And all you poor folks, you must go/ Muslims and gays, boy, we hate your ways/ So all you bad folks, you must go.”

From these lines, it is possible to see the potential of rap as a voice to unite those who have ever been discriminated against, and those who are fearful for what may lie ahead in the coming years. In the same way that punk was the voice of dissent in the Reagan and Thatcher years, rap will hopefully serve the same purpose during the Trump administration. It has been clear that the momentum has built up and that politically conscious rap has entered the mainstream. All there is to do now is for rappers to continue to provide a rallying cry against the injustices that faces our society.