Artists endorse participation

What do Sen. John McCain and Daddy Yankee have in common? They were each named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, and they’re both McCainiacs.

Daddy Yankee, whose real name is Ramón Ayala, officially began endorsing McCain in August and is hardly the only musician making his political voice heard. But even though artists like Ayala and Sean “Diddy” Combs make their political views known, these endorsements function more to spur discourse among young voters rather than persuade them to vote for either party.

Ayala is probably best known for his 2004 single “Gasolina” and is arguably the king of reggaeton. While he is huge in the Latin music scene, how does that translate to a politically conscious public figure?

In an interview with ABC News, Ayala said, “I was glad to meet (McCain) two years ago and since then we’ve been very cool.”

Second-year Design | Media Arts student Gabbie Bautista still isn’t convinced.

“I don’t buy that McCain has any real interest in what Daddy Yankee has to say. He’s probably just using him to get to (Ayala’s) fans, which scares me because it shows that McCain’s just another politician who sees us as votes, not people,” Bautista said.

Though Ayala has played a minimal role in McCain’s campaign since publicly endorsing the senator, rapper Diddy tries to keep his fans more up to date through his “Diddy Obama Blog” found on YouTube, in which he repeatedly claims McCain is “buggin’ out” by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

“Diddy is ridiculous. He makes good music, but he is ridiculous,” second-year psychology student Tori Wiessler said. Wiessler, one of many undecided voters, was unimpressed by Diddy’s video. While Wiessler is not a fan of Palin, she fails to see what Diddy’s criticism of the Alaska governor has to do with politics.

“I don’t know if he’s being serious, but he’s not making anyone look good by saying things like that, especially not himself,” Wiessler said. “I think it’s great what Diddy’s done in the past with encouraging young people to get out there and vote, but I can’t see anyone gaining respect for Obama by watching this video, which seems like what Diddy wants people to do.”

Like Diddy, rapper Ludacris found a way to make his pro-Obama views known. The musician wrote a song titled “Politics (Obama is Here)” that not only praises Obama but also throws derogatory terms at every other public figure mentioned in the lyrics. Throwing terms at Sen. Hillary Clinton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, among others, Ludacris successfully caught the public’s attention.

Political commentator Bill O’Reilly responded to the song on an episode of “The O’Reilly Factor” by stating, “No one cares what a person like Ludacris does; his audience is small, his mind smaller.”

Though much of America doesn’t always agree with O’Reilly’s conservative comments, Bautista found some common ground.

“I’m all about Obama, but I can honestly say that what Ludacris has to say has no effect on me,” Bautista said.

Shortly after the song was released, Obama himself expressed disapproval of the discourteous lyrics.

Despite Ludacris’ intentions, he was reprimanded from both sides of the political spectrum for doing more damage than good to Obama’s image.

While artists such as Ayala, Diddy and Ludacris choose to independently endorse certain politicians, still others have decided to work with Rock the Vote, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing voter registration. Rock the Vote tours the nation in an effort to increase the young voter turnout this November and has a long list of celebrity supporters.

The organization is careful not to favor any particular candidate or party. That’s not to say, however, that Rock the Vote doesn’t see the value in the conversations that artist endorsements can spur.

“(These endorsements) make young people step back and think, and start the process of questions,” said Stephanie Young, communications associate for Rock the Vote. “I don’t think that young people are stupid or they’ll say, “˜Oh, this person is voting for this person, so I will too.’ Young people are really driven by issues.”

Perhaps this November will bring with it a record number of youth voters due to their increased ability to identify with a candidate, whether it be through race, gender or, perhaps more idealistically, political views. Whatever the outcome, the union of music and politics is here to stay.

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