Post #5: "My President is Black" by Young Jeezy (2009)

     Personally, I absolutey love the fact that we elected our first black (I can say that, right?) president--it shows how much progress America has truly made in the past 40 years.  It shows that the people who voted for him voted for the man, the voice, and the ideas of Obama, and I truly believe that those who voted against him only did so politically and not personally, nor because of the color of his skin.  Obama broke the glass ceiling for minorities, but someone else was responsible for the breaking of that glass--the American people themselves.  You simply do not get a majority vote for an African-American presidential candidate unless racism is almost entirely a thing in the past!  It made me very proud to be an American! [As a side note, if I had been voting-age during the 2008 elections, I wouldn't have voted for Obama, but that would have been a strictly political decision.  I am currently rooting for Herman Cain (who happens to be black) because I very much agree with his policies.]
     This video/song shows the same kind of pride, but one from a slightly different angle and point of view.  Essentially, the lyrics tell us that the author claims to have only gained his success by his own work and by sheer luck, and that he believes that the government is in part responsible for his struggles, or at least should have helped more than it did.  Now that we have a black president, he implies, the life of all African-Americans will be better; now the black president will be there for his people; now they have no worries.  Some of the lyrics from the song, which were actually sung by Nas:
Tell him I'm doin fine, Obama for mankind
We ready for d*** change so y'all let the man shine
Stuntin on Martin Luther, feelin just like a king
Guess this is what he meant when he said that he had a dream
Yeah, our history, black history, no president ever did sh** for me
Had to hit the streets, had to flip some keys so a n**** won't go broke
Then they put us in jail, now a n**** can't go vote
So I spend doe, all these hoes is trippin
She a ain't a politician, honey's a polotician
My president is black, rolls golden charms
Twenty-two inch rims like Hulk Hogan's arms
When thousands of peoples is riled up to see you
That can arouse ya ego, we got mouths to feed so
Gotta stay true to who you are and where you came from
Cause at the top will be the same place you hang from
No matter how big you can ever be
For whatever fee or publicity, never lose your integrity
For years there's been surprise horses in this stable
Just two albums in, I'm the realest n**** on this label
Mr. Black President, yo Obama for real
They gotta put your face on the five-thousand dollar billIn this part, he seems to be admonishing the president to not forget the African-American population; in fact, the tone seems to imply that they should be his number-one priority, as if that was Obama's entire purpose for being in office.  This does not sit right with me.  If racism is truly disappearing, I believe that a black president should consider all of the citizens of  America of equal importance: black, white, asian, latino, young, old, male, or female; just as a white president should, just as an asian president should, just as a female president should, etc.  He should not favor one population over the other just because that is "who you are and where you came from."  It would not be considered right to do so in any circumstance; therefore, the lyrics to this song and what they stand for seem to be a little ignorant and frankly, un-American.  A lot of African-American rap art portrays this same sentiment.  Personally, I disagree with the perpetuation of the myth that the American government is responsible for the problems and lifestyle of the people to which these types of songs speak.  If these artists focused their music and talents to promote a more positive message, such as education is the key to free yourself from the pattern of drug abuse and prison, perhaps the effect would be more dynamic for positive change. 
     Secondly, I really disliked the line "Yeah, our history, black history, no president ever did sh** for me."  WHAT!? Oh, I suppose Abraham Lincoln didn't write the Emancipation Proclimation, and he certainly wasn't assasinated for his controversial view that "all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons...sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution..."  I suppose Harry Truman did not completely integrate the armed forces by executive order in 1948 (thus bypassing any opposition from congress).  I suppose the Fouteenth Ammendment was not passed and ratified under Andrew Johnson, and the various Civil Rights Acts were not passed under various other presidents. No, I don't guess a white president ever did anything for the African-American population.