Barack Obama Compares Hip-Hop Videos to President Donald Trump’s Level of Success, Says Rap Is All About Bling, Women and Money

Former President Barack Obama has made an interesting comparison between hip-hop and current Commander in Chief Donald Trump in a new interview.

During a recent conversation with The Atlantic, which was published on Monday (Nov. 16), Obama likened rap music and videos to the success of Trump. While discussing populism—or the political stance that caters to the average person— Obama spoke on the deception perpetuated within the hip-hop industry and during Trump's presidency.

"It’s interesting—people are writing about the fact that Trump increased his support among Black men [in the 2020 presidential election], and the occasional rapper who supported Trump," he said. "I have to remind myself that if you listen to rap music, it’s all about the bling, the women, the money. A lot of rap videos are using the same measures of what it means to be successful as Donald Trump is. Everything is gold-plated. That insinuates itself and seeps into the culture."

Within the hip-hop community as well as across social media and beyond, there have been quite a few conversations about rappers such as 50 Cent, Lil Pump, Lil Wayne and more vocalizing their support for Trump's reelection. However, Trump was defeated by Obama's former vice president Joe Biden earlier this month. Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the U.S. on Jan. 20, 2021.

Barack Obama hasn't been one to shy away from publicly displaying his fandom for hip-hop. Back in 2012, shortly after Obama won his second term as President of the United States, he gave a shout-out to Jeezy at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. "In my first term, I sang Al Green," he shared at the time. "In my second term, I'm going with Young Jeezy." Jeezy dropped the track "My President" back in 2008, just before Obama became the first Black man to be president.

Then, there's Obama's annual summer playlist. This year, he included rappers like J. Cole ("The Climb Back"), Mac Miller ("Blue World"), Megan Thee Stallion ("Savage (Remix)" featuring Beyoncé) and more.

Will rappers speak out against Barack Obama's comparison of hip-hop videos and Trump's success? Only time will tell.