Donald Trump and Rap

Rappers are liars. They lie almost as much as Donald Trump lies. Trump lies in every speech he gives, in every interview he conducts, and in every soundbite you see from him on the internet or social media. The kind of lies rappers tell are mostly performative. They serve a purpose: to project an avatar of who they are in the world. This is where concepts like “bling” come from, where hyper-masculinity finds its home, and where the materialism and misogyny of rap music and hip-hop culture live their best lives. Trump’s lies project an avatar as well. He is, in the words of Lupe Fiasco’s ominous narrator in “Put You On Game,” “the Trusted Misleader.” Rappers have been referencing Donald Trump in their lyrics since at least 1989 with the Beastie Boys’ “Johnny Ryall.” Scarface’s “Money and Power” (1991) and Jay-Z’s “What More Can I Say” (1998) follow suit — largely alluding to Trump as a brand, a powerful symbol of wealth and monetary success. In these allusions, rappers name-check Trump like a commodity, a signifier to which listeners can easily relate. The late Mac Miller’s “Donald Trump” (2011) presents Trump as the paragon of wealth along with all...