Former President Donald Trump has earned support from a surprising demographic: African American hip-hop legends. Why? It’s the economy.
A new class of pro-Donald Trump surrogates has gained prominence in the closing days of the 2024 presidential election: hip-hop and rap artists.
The former president has courted the rap vote extensively during his third presidential campaign. Trump has made appearances with prominent rappers supporting him like Sada Baby (known for 2020 hit “Whole Lotta Choppas”), Sheff G, and Sleepy Hallow at campaign events in Detroit and New York.
One artist supporting Trump better known to older listeners is iconic rapper Lil Wayne. Trump pardoned Lil Wayne, along with rapper Kodak Black and Death Row Records founder Michael ‘Harry-O’ Harris, in one of his final acts as president before leaving office in 2021.
Rapper 50 Cent explained in an interview with Fox News why he and other Black men have been able to identify with Trump. “He says fight. All right. And that’s exactly what I did after I got shot. I just went into fight mode,” said 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III.. “People identify with it that way.”
Trump has earned support from more than just male hip-hop artists, however. Rapper Azaelia Banks endorsed Trump in 2016 and was spotted at a Trump rally in Miami this past July. “He’s just F***** funnyyy,” Banks said in a 2023 interview. “He’s been through how many bankruptcies? How many wives? How many television shows? Seriously, nothing can take him down.”
