Rappers With Ties To The White House

Few imagined a rapper in The White House when N.W.A infamously turned 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into The Black House in their “Express Yourself” video.

But on March 18, 1991 one Eric “Eazy-E” Wright was invited by Republican Senate leader Bob Dole to attend an exclusive luncheon where President George Herbert Walker Bush was scheduled to speak to the Republican Senatorial Inner Circle. Continue along as we chronicle 12 other rappers with presidential ties.

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Despite Jay Z’s bromance with the POTUS another rapper with Def Jam ties was actually the first person to perform Rap at the White House. That distinction belongs to Detroit’s own Big Sean, who performed with Ariana Grande at The 2014 Easter Egg Roll on April 21, 2014.

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Given their mutual Chicago ties, it’s no surprise Common was an early Barack Obama supporter. A few conservatives attempted to throw shade when Common was invited to perform poetry at the White House in 2011, but Common’s recital for a group of school children went off without a hitch.

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While stumping for votes on the campaign trail, Bill Clinton pounced on Sister Souljah’s quote about killing white people and sparked the infamous “Sister Souljah Moment.” According to Clinton, his daughter schooled him on the ways of Hip-Hop in the decades since he attempted to rebuke the rapper, author and activist at a Rainbow Coalition rally.

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George W. Bush and Kanye West had an interesting back and forth when West went off script during the A Concert for Hurricane Relief telethon and said, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Bush called it the most disgusting moment in his presidency, and in November of 2010, West offered a rare apology.

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Surprisingly, Hip-Hop doesn’t totally hate George W. Bush. President number 43 is responsible for pardoning rapper and producer John Forte in 2008. At the time, Forte was serving seven years of a 14-year sentence after being found guilty of possession of 31 pounds of liquid cocaine with intent to distribute.

When Ludacris dissed Jesse Jackson, Hilary Clinton and George W. Bush in the 2008 song “Politics As Usual,” Barack Obama’s camp denounced the rapper/actor’s rhymes. The pair met face to face in 2006 when Obama was a senator.

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Leave it up to Snoop Dogg to go on record as saying he lit up some greenery while in the White House bathroom.

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Mr. “Vote Or Die” himself got a tour of the White House by George W. and Laura Bush in December of 2004.

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Pitbull has come a long way since spitting raunchy raps as a protégé of Uncle Luke back in the day. The Grammy Award winner performed for upwards of 1,200 troops and military family members July 4 for the Salute to the Military USO Concert.

In 2010, Atlanta’s B.o.B. headlined the National Gen44 Summit Kick Off Concert with President Barack Obama. Bobby Ray helmed the mic (and presumably his guitar) during a performance at the DAR Constitution Hall.

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Bill Clinton wasn’t an early supporter of Hip-Hop at all, and those infamous “Parental Advisory” labels appeared on his watch. But he was singing a different tune by 2010 when he sent well wishes to Lil Wayne after the rapper was released from Rikers Island.