When it comes to exercising the First Amendment: Freedom of Speech right, no form of expression hits harder than a musical angle. And when you dissect the statistic down to the genres, Hip-Hop is leading the pack in terms of explicit and outspoken lyrics. You may remember The Dixie Chicks had the cojones to denounce President George W. Bush when the company was at war (and got a lot of unwanted attention for it). But rap music has long held the commander-in-chief accountable for acts they deemed reprehensible without half of the press.
The Hip-Hop community’s ties to the White House can be positive but sometimes they can be inflammatory to say the least.
Flip through the gallery below to see fourteen rappers who dissed the President of the United States.
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Photo: YouTube/Jlnphotography/Wenn
Nas – “What Goes Around”
Target: George W. Bush
“What is destined shall be/George Bush killer ’til George Bush kills me/Much blessings, be healthy. Remember…”
Bush never put out the hit, FYI.
KRS-One – “Ah Yeah”
Target: Richard Nixon
“Remember the whip, remember the chant, remember about rope and You black people still thinkin’ about vot-ing?/Every President we ever had lied/You know I’m kinda glad Nixon died”
Lyricgate.
Killer Mike – “Reagan”
Target: Ronald Reagan
“Who the f**k is that staring in my window/Doing that surveillance on Mr. Michael Render/I’m dropping off the grid before they pump the lead/I leave you with four words: I’m glad Reagan dead”
Spitting on his grave.
Eminem – “Mosh”
Target: George W. Bush
“Rebel with a rebel yell, raise hell, we gon’ let ’em know/Stomp, push shove, mush/f**k Bush/Until they bring our troops home c’mon, just…come along, follow me”
And it wouldn’t be the last time.
Snoop Dogg – “Break A B*tch Til I Die”
Target: George W. Bush
“But know this, fa sho this/It’s something forealla/From a fifty cent n***a to a thousand dollar n***a/F**k George Bush, the army, and the G.I/N***a this P-I until I D-I”
This happened before September 11, so it’s gets a pass, right?
Baracka Flocka Flames – “I Run The Military”
Target: John F. Kennedy
“First black prezzie/Last real n***a/You’ll never JFK me ‘cuz I got them hair triggers”
SMH.
Ab-Soul – “Terrorist Threats”
Target: Barack Obama
“Dear Barack, I know you just a puppet but I’m giving you props/You lying to the public like it ain’t nothing/And I just love it/I hope it don’t stop”
That’s one helluva metaphor for being a Pinocchio.
Outkast – “Y’all Scared”
Target: Bill Clinton
“Paragraph indent, I make intense sense/Niggas on that Gil Scott dope (hint hint)/At age fifteen they start smokin Billy Clint/Now he’s 21 and wants to know where the time went”
You know it’s bad when your name is known for a generalized version of smoking weed.
Ludacris – “Slap”
Target: George W. Bush
“My grandmama’s nerves are bad/And everybody in the hood is mad/Cause President Bush could give a damn about our ass/So I don’t wanna hear sh*t that he has to sayyy/Sh*t that he has to sayyy…”
(Don’t say nothing!)
2Pac – “How Do U Want It”
Target: Bill Clinton
“Worse than the others; Bill Clinton, Mr. Bob Dole/You’re too old to understand the way the game’s told/You’re lame so I gotta hit you with the hot facts/Once I’m released, I’m making millions, n***a, top that”
It didn’t matter who would won the election. Tupac made sure to be their first detractor.
Lil Wayne – “Georgia Bush…”
Target: George W. Bush
“Man f**k the police and President (Georgia) Bush/So what happened to the levies, why wasn’t they steady?/Why wasn’t they able to control this?/I know some folk that live by the levy”
Being a Louisiana native, Weezy obviously didn’t like the way Hurricane Katrina was handled.
Non Phixion ft. Necrodamus – “I Shot Reagan”
Target: Ronald Reagan
“Yeah I shot your f*****g President/You know my steez!/Not Public Enemy, except we non-fiction, Non-Phixion/Positive and negative because the world’s a contradiction”
We’re sure John Hinckley, Jr. would have gladly let them take the heat for this one.
Lupe Fiasco – 30 Minute Obama Rant
Target: Barack Obama
And he was Sandman’ed at the Apollo for it.
Eminem – “We As Americans”
Target: George W. Bush
“It’s funny, we got a buzz spreadin’ quicker/Than makin paper airplanes out of a twenty, f**k money!/I don’t rap for dead presidents; I’d rather see the president dead/It’s never been said/But I set precedence/And the standards and they can’t stand it”
Arguably the most controversial display of crafty wordplay that has ever been spit.
Kanye West – Hurricane Katrina Telethon
Target: George W. Bush
“George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.”
To this day, some feel he has a point.
Kanye West – “Power”
Target: Barack Obama
“Lost in translation with a whole f**king nation/They say I was the abomination of Obama’s nation/Well that’s a pretty bad way to start the conversation”
Will Kanye ever get along with a U.S. President? We will see in a couple of years.
