Obama Moments: Hip-Hop Artists & Political Figures Reflect(Chuck D & more...)

[.:TimeLock:.]

article taken from BallerStatus.com Published: Thursday - September 18, 2008
Words by Mike Cooper II
Obama Moments: Hip-Hop Artists & Political Figures Reflect


On a nippy February morning in Springfield, Illinois, a man named Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. The country collectively yawned, the media snickered, conservatives cracked jokes, liberals worried that he was just overcrowding an already packed field primary field, and Black America smiled, but rolled back over in the bed, back into the covers, believing that nothing substantial would ever come of it.

Because that's the way it's always been, and that's the way it is. That's the way it is, and the way it always will be. So, as Tupac so expressively put it, "And although it seems heaven sent / We ain't ready, to see a black president."

Going from a virtually unknown to the Democratic Party's lead candidate has been a long road traveled. From several memorable speeches and a long campaign trail, to mass media attention and the support of the hip-hop community, Obama has trailblazed his way into contention.

Now, with the convention has past, Obama has become the first African-American in American history to run on a major party ticket, and the first to ever be nominated by a major party. With Obama having accepted the nomination exactly forty-five years to the day that Dr. King delivered his renowned "I Have a Dream Speech," BallerStatus reflects on the moments and victories that got Obama to this point.

It's only fitting because we were there for the first electioneering at the historic Wayfarer Inn in New Hampshire over two years ago. And there on the streets of Columbia when Obama won South Carolina. Now we're joined in a conversation, about the irony and significance of Obama's candidacy, by Chuck D, Twista, the Kidz In The Hall, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Lord Jamar, South Carolina State Representative Bakari Sellers, as well as William McNary, an Obama elected delegate, and Rep. Keith Ellison, an Obama super delegate.

BallerStatus.com: It's almost surreal still, it seems like yesterday Obama announced his candidacy and here we are on the brink of providence.

Rep. Sellers: I'm still very excited since he won the last primary. That was an excellent moment in history when he claimed victory.

BallerStatus.com: What's the mood like up in Chicago now?

Twista: Everybody is going crazy. It's wild. Everybody I knew was for him. It's a big thing up here. And in the music scene, you're going to hear a lot about it in songs for awhile. We are definitely proud, especially up here in Chicago.

Naledge: I was actually in Chicago the day before Obama became the presumptive nominee. It was a unique feeling. In Chicago we're so biased towards him because we've been supporting him for so long. We had seen it coming and we were just waiting for the relief, and a chance to celebrate. I don't think there was any doubt in our minds that he was going to win the primary. Honestly, I felt like Hillary was already out of the race several weeks before the final votes were cast. And people up in Chicago were even looking more towards the general election. Now it's on to November.

William McNary: We're happy in Illinois. I mean this is our guy, this is our hometown guy. He's a guy who actually used to walk among us, which is why this attempt to label him as some out of touch, "head in the clouds" elitist is to us one of the most unkind things in the campaign. I mean, this is a guy who used to get his hair cut at the Hyde Park Barber Shop, waiting his turn, kicking it with the fellas. My own barber, who not only knows as much about politics ... well he knows as much as I tell him. And he asked me, "Hey man you think this Obama dude is gonna make it?" That's the way he put it. I told him "Yeah, he's going to be the next president of the United States." He said, "Man, I used to play basketball with that dude." I mean, so this is a guy who plays poker with his fellow State Senate members, someone who walks the same streets we do. So we're happy. ...I thought he could make it after Iowa, but it's really just now hitting some of our Illinois friends, that this man actually could be the president of the United States.

BallerStatus.com: Where were you the night Obama claimed the nomination after that hard fought primary campaign?

Twista: We were actually on the road, promoting the new album among other things. Just chilling and everything, but I got a chance to see what has happening on the hotel room television. I made a point of catching it. Man it's about time, what a change. I almost couldn't believe it. I am just proud to see somebody like him do his thing like that. He has been able to touch so many people. I am just so proud of him, and scared too, I guess. He's brave. It takes guts to do that. There's no secret what usually happens to sweeping leaders like him. I am hopeful about the outcome though.

William McNary: I was coming back from Mississippi I believe, going to watch him give that speech. I was lucky enough to arrive and get home just in time. It was a great speech, and what it did for the good people here in Illinois was reinforce that our guy has actually made it. He's done it. Our boy can actually be the president of the United States. At that moment, they realized they had to do everything they can to make sure he goes on to the White House.

Rep. Sellers: I was actually at home. I wanted to make sure I was on the sofa so I wouldn't miss the speech or any word of it. And then I witnessed Hillary do everything except offer the vice presidency to him, in her speech. I really didn't understand that. Then I watched Barack and I was just in awe. I got on the phone and called a bunch of my friends, all of whom were watching it. It was a great experience.

Kidz In The Hall: We were at a show, can't remember which one. It feels like my whole life is an airport. Once I saw the way it had been going the last few months, I definitely had felt that Obama was going to pull it out. There's still a "wow" factor right now, it's so historic. We never tried to assume something like that couldn't happen in our lifetimes, and always tried to hope for the best, even when times were tough. I think that America needed the symbolism of it almost as much as they need the actual physical change.

Rep. Ellison: I was right there in St. Paul with 18,000 other screaming supporters. We were listening to that great speech that he gave. Obama was packing it in. Not only did we have 18,000 inside the venue, we had 15,000 standing outside. It was exactly the kind of reception that he needed, and the reception that a moment like that deserved. Everybody is real excited to carry it on and beat John McCain in the fall. I was thrilled that he spent that moment, and we got to spend it with him, in St. Paul, which is by the way is where the Republican National Convention was in September.

BallerStatus.com: Was that a preemptive strike by Obama to claim his primary victory in the very arena where McCain officially accepted his nomination?

Rep. Ellison: The message that it sends to McCain is that we're fired up and ready to go. We're ready to knock on doors. We're ready to knock on more doors. We're ready to get the vote out. Obama knew what he was doing when he picked Minnesota. That was certainly no coincidence. He filled it up; he filled it up and let Minnesota know that hope is on the horizon.

BallerStatus.com: Have you been able to talk to the younger members of you're family and explain to them the significance of all that is going on. And that it wasn't like this when you were growing up.

Chuck D: I'm always telling them about the way things were, and how times are changing. It's definitely big. It's big. If he wins, it's the biggest historical occurrence that ever happened while I was alive. I was born in 1960, the same year as the Kennedy-Nixon election. I vaguely remember Lyndon Johnson being the president, and being in class when Nixon was running against Hubert Humphrey. That caught my attention, even as a child then.

BallerStatus.com: That moment probably had a big impact on the younger generations, especially African-America kids. The imagery of them sitting there and watching that is truly remarkable. Young people in the past were told that it was an equal playing field, anybody can grow up to be who they want to be, anyone can work hard and become president if they wanted. That was never the case. It's a whole new ballgame now though.

Twista: I can't wait to get out there and talk to the kids about it. It seems like Black History Month and all that, that's just history. It is nothing but textbooks and people that died before they were even born. This is reality for them. It is on the screen, it's in every newspaper. There's no escaping it, so I'm curious as to how they're reacting.

Lord Jamar: I don't feel that Obama is going to suddenly come in and there's going to be such a sudden change for black people. But he's going to add a certain inspiration to people that didn't have it before. There are going to be young kids out there who think achieving things like that is actually possible. Exactly like when I was a kid, there was no way in my mind that I thought I could be president, ever.



Chuck D: Are we realistic as a population to give a person two years to clean up the mess? And let us go down the road of some sort of stability, especially with the rest of the planet. Barack Obama will have three times the pressure as the average person who steps into the presidency. I had always thought that Barack Obama as a vice president would have been well equipped to deal with issues central to the black community. That could have partially been his role, as Hillary ran the entire country. Barack looked out for the poor people, black people, and the forgotten across the country. But when you're the top dog, you really don't have too much time for the bottom people. Barack Obama could have redefined the position as the vice president. Even now though, I think he's smart enough. I think he's the right man for the job. But he will make history no matter what.

BallerStatus.com: What is going to make Obama such a different president than McCain, especially in dealing with the economy and foreign policy?

Rep. Ellison: Well first of all, McCain said he'd have no problem if America kept fighting in Iraq for a hundred years. Obama wants peace, and he wants to bring the troops home. McCain has personally admitted that he doesn't know anything about the economy, and his advisers are the very people whose ideas got us into current economic mess. The differences are clear, between peace and a continuation of war, between continuing the Bush tax cuts for the rich or a new direction for the economy, and between hope and despair.

William McNary: As far as what kind of administration, and how he will treat people. Let's look at what he's doing now. If you go to one of his two offices in downtown Chicago, it is full of young volunteers. There are young people who are not only answering the phones, they're plotting some strategy. When he goes to different campaigning stops, he makes a point of acknowledging all the different volunteers who've helped the grassroots movement in that particular area. He will not just rely on the manpower or the physical sweat of young organizers, but he cares about what they think, he wants their input and to help him strategize. So I imagine or envision him being like a Franklin Roosevelt, who used to invite community organizations and unions and so forth to his White House and he would have meetings with them. He would listen to their concerns. Barack is going to keep his ear to the ground, and he'll rely on those people to keep his feet on the ground.

BallerStatus.com: When did you first meet Obama and what your first impression of him?

William McNary: I met him at him at an event where he was introduced as the next Illinois State Senator. It was a fundraiser for another candidate. I worked with him a lot in the Senate. He was a good friend and a true genuine progressive. Barack Obama was not just a good vote on our bills, when other people had special interests lobbyists and folks meeting with them, Barack had relationships with the public interest advocates. The people who were trying to change things for the masses of people were the ones he held court with. These are the people he stratigized with and helped us pass our legislation. This is a man that when he served in the Illinois Senate, he passed some of the most progressive legislation, even when he was in the minority. He was in the minority party for many years, but he worked across the aisles to consistently to make sure that the poor and forgotten were still being fought for.

Naledge: I was aware of him a long time ago. My best friend's mother was one of the first people on his fundraising team, and this was back even before he was a state senator. This was when he was running for city alderman, and he lost. If you really know his history, then you'll know that he lost like two or three elections before he even became a state senator. Part of it was that he was perceived by many as a hotshot, you know, like this Harvard hotshot who didn't necessarily belong. Most of the politicians in Chicago are born and raised in the city. There's a lot of old money and old families that are connected to politics in the city. Barack broke the mold of what they were used to, and they weren't really sure if he fit. But he made you love him. He worked his way up to where they had to accept him. He took his bumps and bruises, but people finally realized that he is a very charismatic figure, wise beyond his years, and a shooting star so to speak.

Rep. Ellison: I first met Barack Obama in Boston when he stepped into the national limelight, and I've gotten to know him since. From my personal impression, he's a great guy. He's a personable down to earth fellow. He has a great sense of humor. If you ask him a tough question, you'll get a straight answer. He's the kind of person that we could certainly use right now in the White House. He's an organizer; he knows what it means to organize people in the streets. He's organized communities, having done so on the South Side. He understands and accepts all people. You know? His mother is white, his father is black. He understands all cultures and all races, what it takes to be a real community and what it takes to better and improve the community.

BallerStatus.com: Was there any thought, any feeling you had, back then four years ago in Boston, that this man could end up one day running and winning the nomination himself, especially so soon?

Rep. Ellison: I had a feeling that this guy could be a president, I truly did. He's a bridge person, if you know what I mean? He's the kind of guy who can connect people of diverse backgrounds. He can bring together people of different religions. He can bring together people of different races. He can bring together the urban and the rural. He has a common vision, one that includes all Americans for a shared prosperity. Not everybody can do that. His ability to transcend and to bridge divides is strong. He has talent.

Chuck D: Over the last eight years there has been a tremendous influx of new voters, and to some extent the old guard has died off.

Lord Jamar: I look at America ... America is a very superficial place. Ok? To me, Barack Obama just looks more presidential. And I think in this society -- that is caught up with appearances and images -- it was that look that helped carry him. I never really thought Hillary had that presidential look. I honestly think it's something as simple as that. ... He looks like a Black JFK. That's who he reminds me of. It's the way he carries himself. His whole demeanor is just presidential.

BallerStatus.com: If he wins in November, Obama will certainly have his hands full cleaning up the Bush mess, but what specific issues would you personally like to him address in his first few years in office?

Rep. Ellison: I would like to see him push for comprehensive immigration reform within his first 100 days. That's a problem that needs a solution. I also want to see him take care of the minimum wage, so that people who are struggling in this economy can catch a break. I think we're all tired of twisting Republicans arms every couple years for small, unsubstantial, increases in wages. It needs to be fixed, and needs to be fixed now. I hope he supports the bill that will help workers organize and join unions much easier. Of course, I hope that the first thing on the agenda is to get us out of Iraq, right away. Once he gets elected and takes office, he should take a trip -- start out with the European countries, then go to African countries, then go to Middle-Eastern counties and Asia and tell them that we have a new sheriff in town, and that we're going to start building a better relationship with the rest of the world. We need to send the message that we want to work it out, not shoot it out. And we need to find a way to improve things here at home economically.

Rep. Sellers: I think the first thing he needs to do is repeal No Child Left Behind, and go through and address the fundamental inequalities we have in our public school system. [He needs to] make sure that every child has an opportunity to get a piece of that gateway to the American dream.

Chuck D: Foreign policy. As an artist who gets to travel all across the world, I get a first hand look at how everyone else views America. It is not good. We need to fix our standing, and make more allies and fewer enemies. We keep calling all these other nations "evil" or the enemy, but we're the only ones out there starting real wars.

Yearwood: That's an excellent question. I think the first thing Barack's going to have to do; he's going to have to make government transparent. Right now our government is not transparent. That's just overall including HUD, transportation, education, etc. There can't be a veil of secrecy. Then credibility, under Bush our government spied on its own citizens, it tortured people. We have a lot of work to do. But the thing that I think here that he needs to work on is foreign policy, obviously. I hope he does not back too much away from the dedication to meet with world leaders. The climate crisis must be dealt with. I am for going to air and wind, not such much nuclear energy, and rebuilding our economy with green jobs. I'm hoping also that he'll seriously deal with the domestic; we still have Katrina survivors who are still wandering this country as displaced persons. So that's a lot of work, no doubt. He has to make sure steps are taken to clean up government and end corruption and hold the Bush clan accountable for their crimes.



BallerStatus.com: Back during the primary in South Carolina, I was down there covering the events in Columbia leading up to Obama's epic victory. It was really interesting because we would pass all these Confederate flags flying from houses. You would drive by buildings named after racists like Strom Thurmond, or after Confederate generals from the Civil War. It seemed like such a stick it to the man moment ... in that state, and that city, that Obama won a primary that knocked Edwards out and made the "black guy" the proverbial frontrunner. All right there in the heart of racism and "southern heritage." It seemed to be the perfect place for Barack to take over. And after that ... it seemed like a defining moment for him and then after that, it seemed like if he could win there, he could win anywhere. That's where he seemed to turn the corner and take the lead.

William McNary: Right, right. And again, one of the biggest myths is that African-Americans always support the African-American candidate. We vote for the person who fits our interests, and is viable, if we vote at all. If not, we just won't vote.

Yearwood: Obviously, as you know it isn't over quite yet. We haven't arrived yet so to speak, but we've certainly on the road to righting several centuries' worth of discrimination and racism.

BallerStatus.com: Obama and his campaign organization took over the party, across the country, from the folks who had been controlling it from cigar smoke filled backrooms, for years. Obama combined the coalitions of McGovern, and Eugene McCarthy type intellectuals, labor union Democrats, along with the new netroots and college liberals that Howard Dean brought into the fold, that Obama just turned it into so much more, almost an unstoppable force.

Yearwood: It certainly is unprecedented, even more so than perhaps Bobby Kennedy. And so, we are at a moment that certainly nobody can knock. Nobody can deny this moment. It's a scary moment because we're all hoping that it turns out ok. But it's a moment in history that will be analyzed for years to come.

Chuck D: Well Barack Obama couldn't do anything if it weren't for Shirley Chisholm and Jesse Jackson, and not without even Al Sharpton, man. They made the jump, and had to deal with what Barack is now, back when America was definitely not ready for that, but they softened up America each time. Those people .. now those people, had audacity. Remember that. They must be remembered. They are our history. Young people need to be told about the efforts of Chisholm. They made it possible for Barack Obama to achieve anything major on the national stage.

BallerStatus.com: That's right there were other African-American candidates for president in the past, such as Shirley Chisholm in '72, and of course Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. What was it about Obama that allowed him to catch fire with the media and forced the country to take him seriously?

Rep. Sellers: I think what people realized is that he wasn't running for president of Black America, he was running for president of the entire country, and its entire population. People haven't seen this type of change, this message of change since John F. Kennedy. There was a man from Hope, Arkansas in 1992 who transformed the country as well. I think we're seeing a little bit of JFK, a little bit of Bill Clinton, and just a whole bunch of change going on in this country.

Lord Jamar: To get to that point, it took discipline. Obama is going to have to walk the straight arrow, he can't even fart the wrong way without being scrutinized. I remember being a kid thinking I could do whatever. It's not like I was ever going to run for president or anything. They weren't searching my background, who gives a f***. But maybe now, if a kid has that mindset they'll strive harder at a young age because the possibilities are finally real.

William McNary: I kind of see life as a continuum. I believe that had Jesse Jackson ... he was the first person to begin to want to win actual primaries.

BallerStatus.com: Thinking back to the presidential election of 2004, to Ohio and the illegal voter disenfranchisement of so many African-American and minority voters, especially in the Cleveland area, which affectively stole the election from Kerry. What's interesting is because of that voter suppression and disenfranchisement of blacks, it essentially opened the door for Obama. Had Kerry won Ohio and the election, it would have been 12 years before Obama would have had this shot.

Rep. Sellers: I agree. History is amazing. You have to be ready to capitalize on your moment in history. People tried to tell him to wait, and I was saying to myself "Please don't wait." I was just happy that he was prepared and he was ready, and so were Michelle and the girls. They have and certainly will become the face of the new America.

Yearwood: Yeah ... you know it's interesting? It's funny because sometimes in our worse moment ... we've been discussing the 40th anniversary of Bobby Kennedy's assassination. One of the things that he discussed was the wisdom that was the awesome grace of God. That was one of the things he mentioned when Dr. King was killed. That wisdom gives you a sense of overcoming. I think that's what we saw in 2004. I think what this country kind of knows, deep down inside, is that with the war, there's a reality out there. We have to deal with the fact that there have been over 4,000 American troops killed in Iraq over a lie. I think we have a situation where people are really feeling upset, and that we must overcome. So no, I think you're right.

Lord Jamar: The sh** they did in 2004 is now going to come back and bite them in the a**. This is karma. That is the beauty of the universe. I don't want people to get complacent, though, and take this for granted, because we've already seen what these motherf***in' Republicans are capable of, as far as stealing elections, and abusing their power to get what they f*** they want.

BallerStatus.com: It does get darkest before the Sun comes up. Reverend you were working on the impeachment of Bush and Cheney two years ago. You got beaten in the halls of Congress, for voicing opposition to the war. Yet, you get up every morning after facing defeats or a lack of real progress in your struggle. Would an Obama victory bring you some fulfillment?

Yearwood: I've faced quite a bit, but I got back up again after getting beaten. There are times man, when I have wondered why am I doing this? I know that there are members of the hip-hop community who, too, want Barack to sometimes be more than he can be. The activists, such as myself, might want him to be pro-Cuba, pro-Venezuela, and set a standard within the leadership. Barack has a fight ahead of him, and he'll have to hear all sides and represent us all. He can. But yeah, I got beaten up, and yeah I got ignored, but we're succeeding in our push for better politics for a new generation.

BallerStatus.com: What does it say to you about Obama that after he finished with Harvard Law School, he took a job as a community organizer, in one of the worst parts of Chicago, when he could have clerked for any judge in the country?

Twista: He's real. He's in it for the results, for the purpose and not for himself. That's why he caught on with the rest of the country. It's the sincerity and the empathy of him that just comes across as real.

Naledge: I mean, to be a revolutionary you have to be somewhat driven, and sometimes take a different route. With that passion, sometimes you're considered crazy. When I told people I was not going to take the regular gigs and would rather get my education I was laughed at. Sometimes it takes ridicule to be an innovator. In order to make change, you might have to take the route less traveled.

Rep. Sellers: I think the most telling thing is what you just said, that he was editor of the Harvard Law Review. One of if not the most prestigious law schools in the country. That speaks to his brilliance. To go back to Chicago, that speaks of his consciousness. He combines character with consciousness and brilliance. The world is your oyster and you can make of it what you want. I mean he had every opportunity in the world to go to Wall Street, or any law firm in the country. Instead, he wanted to go back and help the communities that gave him so much. It means so much to see somebody who became a part of something larger than himself.

William McNary: When people talk about judgment, you judge people by the choices that they make in life. Again what you just said, this is a man who literally could have cashed in. He was the first African-American head of the Harvard Law Review, he graduated Magna Cum Laude. The point is he literally could have gone anywhere he wanted, but he decided to apply his trade here (in Chicago), doing some constitutional law and Civil Rights law, and went on to the Illinois State Senate where he served.

Yearwood: Two things. Now again, Barack Obama's victory is about Barack Obama and it's about change at the right time and at the right place. On the one hand, you're right. He did some things that are tremendous. He has that story -- a Kansas mother, and a Kenyan father and grew up in Hawaii. He has a world background, and then went to Harvard, then back to Chicago. I will say this though: there are plenty of African-Americans who have that story, who have some tremendous stories of overcoming that you don't hear about. I think the one thing that Obama is, is that he brings light to so many who've always gone unnoticed, who are excelling. It's not just change that Barack brings politically, it's visible change, which will help change the way we look and judge others. So his story his fantastic, I mean I love his story (laughing).

BallerStatus.com: Rappers tend to be quite cynical towards politics, but with Obama that has changed within the last year. Have you been paying more attention?

Twista: Oh certainly. I've been paying more attention to a certain extent. I definitely sit down and watch when Barack is on. I don't flip through. You have to savor it man, because it's been a long time coming.

Double-O: We actually had the conversation recently with Cornell West. Barack is the first candidate who has connected with the hip-hop generation. That is the most important part, and why you see people more interested now because he speaks our language. There's not a disconnect where it feels like he's from that side and we're from this side. He's partially a part of the revolution in America that is hip-hop. This is very much his generation as well.

Lord Jamar: I'd say I have. I never been the guy who says we need to go out and vote, blah, blah, blah. I feel like the American political system was kind of a farce. That was put on display when Bush went and stole the election in 2000. With the same token, however, positive and negative exists within all things. Over the years black people have become more accepted. At some point it seemed like to be black became cool. America now seems to have a love affair with black people, now let's see if we can carry it into the presidency. There's the most interest within the culture now though, we talk about it on tour amongst ourselves or whatever. I'm secretly rooting for this dude. It would be a nice thing to see.

Chuck D: It's not a game to me. I'm voting for Barack for the right reasons. Voting for him just because he's black is the wrong reason. That's change. It's something I want to see, and I hope happens, and should happen. But in the end, I think I'm going to be voting for the best guy to sit at that desk.

BallerStatus.com: Going back over recent years in movies and on television, the president was typically a black man.

Lord Jamar: Oh yeah, oh yeah. That Fox show and all that type of sh**. And yeah, it's always set in the future, know what I mean? God is black in a couple of their movies now. They got Morgan Freeman as God now, that's crazy.

BallerStatus.com: It would be unfair to say that hip-hop paved the way for Obama the individual, but it did pave the way for a movement, and helped people to understand the struggle he was partially representing.

Lord Jamar: I wouldn't disagree with that. There definitely were some ground breaking groups back then, especially Public Enemy. The way that they came up with the strength and the unadulterated power for their music, even white people loved Public Enemy, which really shocked me. I remember the first time I saw a white guy with a Public Enemy t-shirt. That was kind of crazy. (laughing) But that set the stage for groups like us, and we're going to Germany selling out shows where it's nothing but blonde hair and blue eyes, and they're loving it. Times have really changed. And yes hip-hop can take some credit for that. I'm not going to say certain groups in general, but the culture as a whole. If you keep it real, this wouldn't have been possible -- Barack Obama rising so fast -- without hip-hop.

Twista: Yeah, definitely. It was bound to happen at some point. I am just glad to see that it happened in my lifetime. I never thought ... I had never even considered the idea of something like this happening while I was still walking the earth. So it is a big thing for me.

Naledge: It's a new climate, it's a new day. We were just talking about this not too long ago when we were at the MTV thing. There is a little social undercurrent pushed by the hip-hop culture, and it's helping the youth come together and become leaders. There comes a certain point where you have to take on the roles that your elders once had. But we must not only take on those roles, we must transform them and make them work in our era, and I think hip-hop has helped with the transformation. Barack Obama is an example of where our culture and where our country is headed. Similarly, the type of music we make is indicative of where hip-hop is going and how it's changed.

Double-O: Definitely. I think hip-hop has bridged a lot of gaps, and crossed a lot of boundaries, both racially and economically. There's a sense of wearing your heart on your sleeve, and sharing your overall soul in hip-hop that seems to connect with people. I think that when that happens it opens up a dialogue on so many subjects.

Chuck D: It's purely evolutionary. It's evolutionary. It's something that's taken place . Hip-hop has been around now for 35 years, and so therefore, it was just a matter of time. Hip-hop has always needed a freedom fighter within it to make sure that it can make some change.

BallerStatus.com: Mr. McNary, you're one of Obama's elected delegates. You got to be there at the convention for Barack's speech on the 45th anniversary of Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech. What does it mean to you to be one of Obama's delegates out their in Denver listening to that speech on such a momentous day?

William McNary: Everybody calls that the "I Have a Dream" speech. When I talk to people who are 40-years-old and younger, they only know the side of King they've read about or seen clips of on television. Some see him as some mythological dreamer, they don't see him as someone who actually marched and boycotted for what he believed, who got hit in the head with rocks, who was jailed for what he believed and ultimately was killed on that balcony in Memphis fighting against poverty. I think we've come full circle. People see Barack as this symbol of hope, with Barack comes all these dreams King had for his people.

You know what? This is also the culmination of something bigger than that. When the country was founded, it was written that all men were created equal, which really meant white men with property were equal. We had to continue to expand the boundaries of our democracy to get included -- not just white men with property. That means peoples of all colors, men and women, any minorities, the disabled, the homeless, the young. We had to get rid of the poll taxes and literary tests to make it easier for all to vote. And who would have thought we would have expanded the boundaries so wide that we could elect a Barack Obama for president? So yeah, Barack Obama is the culmination of King's dream, but he's also the culmination of the American dream.

BallerStatus.com: Giving that acceptance speech, on the anniversary, was that in a way the dream becoming reality.

Rep. Sellers: I think we have to wait for November to come for that dream to be reality. We cannot expect it to be reality until Barack Obama moves into the White House. It's more than just an African-America at the top of the ticket for the first time in American history, it's an opportunity for the country to turn the page and go in a different direction.

Chuck D: There are 365 days in a year, it could have taken place on any of them. Sure it is ironic that it happened on a historic date, but Barack's moment was remarkable no matter what day it took place on. Barack's speech wasn't just fulfilling King's dream. It was a fulfillment of his dream, and our dream. It was his moment, and it is now our moment.