Strange Bedfellows? Rap and the Far Right

Recent reactions to hip-hop culture from far-right factions provide a portal into understanding their changing political strategies. Less overtly condemnatory than a generation ago, the right has increasingly exploited the political and financial benefits of co-opting from this multi-billion dollar industry. Rappers, long excluded from the corridors of power, are increasingly stepping onto that welcome mat, practicing a form of entryism aimed at empowering themselves. Kanye West, for example, regularly ingratiates himself to Donald Trump and the extreme right by any means necessary, grasping at the robes of the powerful to remain relevant. The age of “old school” condemnation of rap is far from over. Far-right politicians and talking heads still see political points to be earned with their followers by bashing the more controversial outposts of rap music. The legacy of gangsta rap still lingers in the forms of trap, drill, and Chicano styles, while bawdy rap is as ubiquitous as ever, offering plenty of talking points to raise the blood pressure of the likes of Matt Walsh, Bill O’Reilly, and Ben Shapiro. Republican Party presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy still used Ice-T’s 1990 song “Cop Killer” to campaign before he dropped out of the 2024 race. As long as...