In the 90s we associate rappers and politicians with being on completely different sides of the spectrum. No one could ever see these two parties coming together. Until now, who would have thought that President Barak Obama was friends with American gangster Shawn Carter or known by his stage name Jay-Z. Two completely different people with different occupations, backgrounds, knowledge and power hanging out and laughing together. This was the beginning of the “change and hope” (Murray Forman) that Obama was looking for. But it took a while to make this transition. Hip-hop wasn't the same in the old days, where it was all about free speech, speaking out against the man and white power. Rap was vulgar, explicit, and violent in the late '80s and early '90s. Around this time Public Enemy arose, “1989 was truly another year in a long struggle for equality for African Americans” and Public Enemy wanted to make a statement. They attacked the political power of the government not with violence and weapons but with music and words. The hit song “Fight the Power” was about racism and civil rights leaders. Public Enemy wasn't like today's rappers who only sing about women, money and drugs. Public Enemy focuses on the political aspects and highlights their black community. This was the beginning of the movement for hip-hop and politics. Hip-hop has over the years involved and become universal in everyday life. Here presidents, senators, Republicans and Democrats will talk about their favorite rappers and the songs they listen to. The president was asked if he liked hip-hop music and he replied: "I have to admit, I've been listening to Jay-Z a lot lately. This new album 'American Gangster'...... middle of paper.... .. search for Hip-Hop authenticity." University of Pennsylvania Year (2007): n. page Web. 13 Nov. 2013.Forman, Murray. "American Studies Journal." Conscious Hip-Hop, Change, and the Obama Era, n.d. Web, Nov. 13, 2013. O'Neal, Adam RealClearPolitics." Hip-Hop Gains Bipartisan Embrace from Pols | RealClearPolitics. Np, Oct. 22, 2013. Web. Nov. 19 2013.Hughes, DANA. “Hip-Hop in Politics: What a Difference a Generation Makes.” ABC News Network, n.d. Web. November 19, 2013. Foster, Brian. “Still Furious and Brave: “Everybody Gotta Have a Dream.” ": Respectability Politics and Rap Aspirations". Respectability Politics and Rap Aspirations. Np, ndWeb. 2013.