The nature of this interview concerns how the election of Barack Obama
has and will affect the hip-hop community, and how the hip-hop
community will react to different decisions of the administration.
HP: Traditionally, hip-hop culture has been very skeptical of American
government. Much hip-hop music, including much of yours, serves a sort
of "watchdog" function. If the Obama administration makes wrong
choices, do you believe that hip-hop will react the way it always has
to government, or will Obama get a free pass, so to speak?
SF: Artists, journalists, and citizens should stay on guard and make
sure our leaders do what they are supposed to do. Our leaders are
supposed to hear and represent us...we, the people. I don't believe
Obama has ever gotten a free pass. His feet will be held to the fire
now that he's acquired the highest political position in the US. He
knows this and I believe he feels the pressure. More so than any other
President in recent history. Though most rappers were in support of
Obama, Hip-hop wasn't all embracing of Obama. You had Timbaland, 50
Cent and Lupe Fiasco rallying for Hilary Clinton in the primaries.
Russel Simmons and other members of the community were upset at Obama
for his criticism of the lyrical content of a lot of mainstream
rappers. Currently there are tinfoil hat artists like Prodigy (of Mobb
Deep) who are convinced that anyone who secures such a high office
must be part of a New World Order scheme. I've also noticed that the
hip-hop messageboards are littered with anti-Obama types. Brother Ali
and I recently had a discussion over the amount of hateful e-mails we
both received when we went public with our support for Obama.
HP: If the Obama presidency fails, what will the effect be on hip-hop?
SF: I don't foresee any negative effect on hip-hop. I believe the
people who've dedicated themselves to documenting the reality of our
situation will continue to do so. Artists will continue to be artists
and do their job as they see fit whether Obama does wonderful or not.
HP: Do you think that mainstream hip-hop will lean in a more conscious
direction once Obama takes office?
SF: As much as I believe Obama will be able to save us from a depression.
HP: Tell us about your song "Slow Down Gandhi." Specifically, what was
your inspiration for the lyrics, "Middle class eliminated/ rich get
richer till the poor get educated"?
SF: I wrote that song before the 2004 election. It was my knee-jerk
reaction to superficial political fervor that arises every election
period. Specifically the pandering to, and celebration of, young
voters. As expected, in 2004, it was simply a reason for people to
throw parties for themselves and act like they were part of something
important. That election felt very important considering the missteps
Bush had made since (questionably) entering office in 2000. The aim of
that song was to call out the fly-by-night activists who pretend to be
involved with actual change until the media attention and parties die
out. This was also the motivation behind the creation of Knowmore.org
which is a consumer activist website that urges people to understand
that they vote with their wallets every day. As participants in a
capitalist system it is very important that consumers stay aware of
how their money is being used by the companies they support. The line
that you quoted is in reference to the fact that blue collar America
is usually kept too busy and stressed out to worry about issues that
they feel are beyond their power to change. My contention is that if
blue collar America expects anything to change in their favor they
need to involve themselves more. Otherwise, they will continue to get
stomped by the rich and privileged who know how to twist the system in
their favor. If you're going to be self-defeatist, then at least
acknowledge and accept your complete submission to a system that is
out to screw you. You lose.
HP: You've said in interviews, "When you talk about politics, you cut
your friends in half." Yet you still posted a lot of pro-Obama stuff
on your Myspace page, which is viewed by millions. Did you feel that
the need for Obama to win was just that important?
SF: Yes, I did. And I lost a number of fans because of that. I am OK
with that. Content. I saw an interview the other day where Shepard
Fairey (the creator of the Obama logo) explained that he is not paid
for all the people who use his copyright when copying the image he
created. He stated that his real reward is that Obama was elected
President. I also feel that reward. If I was only good for being
cynical, ONLY known for criticizing and tearing people down, then I'd
feel like a coward. What's the point of sharing your opinions and
feelings with others if you can only hate and never show support for
something? That would be hollow, spineless and safe. I provided a
voice of political dissent after 9/11 because I was compelled to do
so. Not because it was popular. That's always been my path and I'm
utterly satisfied by that. Whether those decisions win me more fans or
not is completely irrelevant to me. How self-righteous is that?
HP: What does it mean to be a "political rapper" anyways?
SF: Standards are so low in hip-hop that anyone who makes an actual
statement of any sort can be slapped with the political sticker. It
doesn't mean much.
HP: Tell us what you're working on now. Is the music you're writing
now influenced by Obama's victory?
SF: I'm working on multiple projects at once. I've never done that
before, but this is the position I have found myself in. Not only am I
working on multiple albums (a couple destined to be free downloads)
but I am building my Strange Famous record label and funneling most of
my money into that enterprise. There isn't anything that I do that is
directly related to Obama, or any one person for that matter, but my
condition is affected by him and his decisions. The results of that
will be subtle but I'm sure that they're there. I'm not overly aware
of it while channeling my thoughts onto page.
HP: What is knowmore.org? Why did you and B. Dolan feel the need to
create such a site? How exactly does the site work?
SF: Knowmore.org is a website that aids consumer awareness. It was
inspired by John Kerry's loss in 2004. B. Dolan came up with the idea
for the website because there was a need for people to know that how
they spent their money was just as important (if not more important)
than voting once every 4 years. We use wiki media which encourages
public involvement and this is essential to exponential growth. A
website like ours needs that because advertising isn't much of an
option when your job is to state the positives and negatives of every
company.
HP: Has knowmore.org made the difference you hoped it would?
SF: Knowmore.org is in the process of making people aware of their
responsibilities in a capitalist culture, so yes. Any specific
difference it has made or will make would be tough to pinpoint, but I
do know that certain communities have grasped the concept of our site
while using it to make informed consumer decisions. That is a
difference. I would like more involvement on the website but that's
just a goal we're aiming for.
HP: Do you have any music related specifically to Obama that you would
like the HuffPost to link to this article?
SF: The only music that relates to America's current situation that
I've made public is a song called Conspiracy to Riot. This song was
released for free before the election and is available as a download
at www.ConspiracyToRiot.com. I touch upon the economy, the political
fervor of the election, as well as the unjust arrests of citizens and
journalists at the Democratic AND Republican national conventions.
HP: Where were you on Nov. 4, and what are your plans for Jan. 20?
SF: On Nov 4th I was camped out in my house with remote control in my
hand as I flipped from channel to channel. Fox News was the first to
call the election for Obama which was so surreal it almost felt like a
hoax. The other networks were holding out until it was absolutely 100%
sure that Obama won the election. I was considering making the journey
to DC for the inauguration on Jan 20th but I think I'll remain home
and flip through channels again. Eating something unhealthy and
absorbing the moment.