Hip-Hop, like any art form, allows its listeners to experience an artist’s stories or commentaries through their unique perspective. Specifically, rappers YG and Nipsey Hu$$le set aside their rivaling Blood and Crip gang affiliations and give us a chance to look through their scope in their recently released for "FDT" (F--k Donald Trump) into the neighborhoods of Bompton and Crenshaw, occupied by red and blue bandanas, b-walkin’ and c-walkin’ dope boys, lowriders and gold chains. The lyrics in this song are strong, straightforward and the message is clear, for the sake of the United States and our forward progression, do not let Donald Trump get elected! With that in mind, simply see this article as a guide in understanding this Southcentral Los Angeles’ call to action and it’s hip-hop flavored political activism.

As Donald Trump parades around the United States collecting votes and winning delegates at a disgusting rate, many of us are sitting back astounded that our American counterparts could vote for someone who is so openly outrageous and inappropriate. YG and Nipsey Hu$$le agree, and are not sitting back, but using their influence and reach to ensure that the next leader of our country is fit for the position. In the first verse YG exclaims that he is “Surprised El Chapo ain't tried to snipe [Donald Trump]” and “Surprised the Nation of Islam ain't tried to find [Donald Trump]”. In saying this, YG contextualizes Trump's questionable foreign affairs and makes them understandable to a community of hip hop listeners by using familiar terms. Also, in the first verse, YG warns Trump of the dangers of him campaigning in Los Angeles when he says “Have a rally out in L.A. we gon’ f--k it up. Home of the Rodney King riot, we don’t give a f—k.” This line references the riots following the beating of Rodney King by L.A.P.D. and insinuates that Trump should not expect a warm welcome in June for the California primaries, but a response similar to that of those rioting against police brutality and racism in 1992. In addition to racism and foreign affairs, YG also brings economics and the distribution of wealth into the discussion when he says “He too rich, he ain't got the answers, he can’t make decisions for this country, he gon’ crush us”. This line reads pretty clearly, YG feels that as a wildly wealthy human being, Donald Trump, does not have the ability to comprehend struggle and feel empathy for those in need, thus, he cannot adequately aid the impoverished.

“I thought all that Donald Trump bulls--t was a joke”. So did we Nipsey, so did we. In the opening lines of the second verse, Nipsey Hu$$le reminds us how Donald Trump’s campaign had begun as a joke, or so we thought. This plays to the overall message of the song, declaring that Trump is not fit for the position of President of the United States. Following this, Nipsey Hu$$le makes it known that “Reagan sold coke, Obama sold hope. Donald Trump spent his trust fund money on the vote.” Now, Nipsey Hu$$le isn’t really claiming that President Ronald Reagan sold cocaine, but is illustrating contrast between three very different presidential campaigns. In saying “Reagan sold coke” Nipsey Hu$$le is pointing to Ronald Reagan’s campaign focused heavily on the war on drugs, which he ‘sold’ to voters as a part of his platform. Nipsey Hu$$le follows that with “Obama sold hope” referencing President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and its overall optimistic and ambitious feeling, it also featured the infamous Hope poster. The punchline of this bar reads “Donald Trump spent his trust fund money on the vote” firing a shot at the candidate by bringing to light the idea that Trump is only in the race because of opportunities provided to him after he received a “…small loan of one million dollars” from his father.

YG and Nipsey Hu$$le simply want their listeners to understand the importance of the upcoming election and continuing progressive thinking in American politics. Whether this is a political call to action or just another rap song is entirely up to your discretion. But the message is undeniable: Donald Trump is a candidate unfit to be president, and the streets agree.