A Little Perspective on Primary Season

Katherine Mangu-Ward | March 21, 2008

For those of us consumed by politics, sometimes it's hard to keep things in perspective. Most of the country isn't paying the slightest bit of attention to the primaries. Take, just as a random example, rapper DMX. Granted, he's a felon, so he can't vote. But still:

Are you following the presidential race?
Not at all.

You’re not? You know there’s a Black guy running, Barack Obama and then there’s Hillary Clinton.
His name is Barack?!

Barack Obama, yeah.
Barack?!

Barack.
What the fuck is a Barack?! Barack Obama. Where he from, Africa?

Yeah, his dad is from Kenya.
Barack Obama?

Yeah.
What the fuck?! That ain’t no fuckin’ name, yo. That ain’t that nigga’s name. You can’t be serious. Barack Obama. Get the fuck outta here.

You’re telling me you haven’t heard about him before.
I ain’t really paying much attention.

I mean, it’s pretty big if a Black…
Wow, Barack! The nigga’s name is Barack. Barack? Nigga named Barack Obama. What the fuck, man?! Is he serious? That ain’t his fuckin’ name. Ima tell this nigga when I see him, “Stop that bullshit. Stop that bullshit” [laughs] “That ain’t your fuckin’ name.” Your momma ain’t name you no damn Barack.

So you’re not following the race. You can’t vote right?
Nope.

Read the whole XXL interview here.

Comments

|3.21.08 @ 10:37AM|#

So you're not following the race. You can't vote right?
Nope.

Thank God.

some guy|3.21.08 @ 10:39AM|#

If it ain't Barack, don't fix it.

Episiarch|3.21.08 @ 10:39AM|#

DMX is a fucking genius. I mean, he was in a movie with Steven Seagal, right?

Fluffy|3.21.08 @ 10:44AM|#

I am going to talk like that to my wife for the rest of the weekend.

This is now officially DMX weekend.

|3.21.08 @ 10:45AM|#

I was going to make a joke about this guy being Episiarch's hero, but I thought it would be over the top.

Nope!

Episiarch|3.21.08 @ 10:48AM|#

Can't you read, joe? He is my hero. I said he was a fucking genius. He's worked with Steven Seagal and Jet Li! If that isn't the pinnacle of success, what is?

|3.21.08 @ 10:48AM|#

This does make an excellent point though.
A lot of the country doesn't pay nearly as much attention to the races as some of us do. This is why you still ahve people who vote who still ask questions like "who is Ron Paul?" and "Why is it all over the news that this Mexican guy is endorsing Barak Obama?"

|3.21.08 @ 10:49AM|#

DMX for VP!

He can't vote, but he can run, right?

|3.21.08 @ 10:54AM|#

sage -
DMC. Run DMC

|3.21.08 @ 10:55AM|#

oh wait, you were serious and not trying to make a pun, weren't you?
My bad.

|3.21.08 @ 10:56AM|#

Thanks for the snicker, Reinmoose. Run DMX.

DMX. That ain't his name. No mama gonna name their boy DMX. Get outta here.

|3.21.08 @ 11:08AM|#

He's a racist! Nobody will vote for him.

Edward|3.21.08 @ 11:09AM|#

You marxists of the right have always needed a libertarian equivalent of Homo Sovieticus. Now you have him. DMX is obviously the ideal Homo Libertarianus.

|3.21.08 @ 11:33AM|#

Is someone frying bologna?

shecky|3.21.08 @ 11:49AM|#

So, why would anyone pay attention to someone who doesn't pay attention, doesn't matter, and will never matter?

|3.21.08 @ 11:55AM|#

I nominate DMX for Chairman of the FCC...

LT Nixon|3.21.08 @ 12:06PM|#

Sounds like an upstanding member of society!

the innominate one|3.21.08 @ 12:06PM|#

You marxists of the right have always needed a libertarian equivalent of Homo Sovieticus. Now you have him. DMX is obviously the ideal Homo Libertarianus.

Liberate your anus and your mind will follow.

Lost in Paradise|3.21.08 @ 12:25PM|#

Did any of you notice that he uses the word "nigga" a lot? His diction is deplorable.

...|3.21.08 @ 12:55PM|#

>If it ain't Barack, don't fix it.

love it.

AD/HD|3.21.08 @ 1:41PM|#

"So, why would anyone pay attention to someone who doesn't pay attention, doesn't matter, and will never matter?"

I'm sorry. You were saying?

JD|3.21.08 @ 1:41PM|#

While he doesn't exactly sound like Rhodes Scholar material, I think his view is more realistic than that of the people who seem to think that the president is some kind of wizard who can single-handedly magically ruin the nation or fix all its problems.

GILMORE|3.21.08 @ 1:50PM|#

Read the whole XXL interview here.

Did YOU read the whole article? Then I'm sure as hell not.

GILMORE|3.21.08 @ 1:53PM|#

Edward | March 21, 2008, 11:09am | #

You marxists of the right...

Wow. Thats almost funny.

I guess both Marxism and the 'left/right' political spectrum are things you've heard about anecdotally once or twice. While huffing paint thinner.

|3.21.08 @ 2:08PM|#

Edward, who writes your material?

miche|3.21.08 @ 2:10PM|#

I did RTFA and think DMX isn't nearly as dumb as you guys think. Of course, I always liked DMX but how can't libertarians like a guy who says:

Life. I been up to that. It's been crazy. Fuckin' police keep on fuckin' raiding my house and shit for nothing. They took all my fuckin' guns. All they did is take is take my guns. All they fuckin' do is fuck my house up and take my guns. That's all they did. Straight robbed me-that's what they did.

and answers questions this way:

Do you worry about people getting the wrong perception of you?
No, I really don't. People could say what they want. I don't really care. I don't give a fuck.

Clearly, yeah.
Anything that's not positive, I don't have the energy to focus on it. Anything that's not going in the right direction I don't have the time or the energy. If somebody step to my face, I'ma take care of 'em, that's something different. What people think, I don't give a fuck about none of that shit 'cause they ain't putting money in my pocket. They ain't taking no money out of my pocket. They all suck dick when they see me so it really doesn't matter.

I think I'm gonna go play Rough Riders Anthem.

|3.21.08 @ 2:47PM|#

He sounds like a Hillary super delegate

|3.21.08 @ 2:54PM|#

speaking of Hillary, I just ran across this gem:

Bill Clinton Heads to North Carolina to Tap Old Political Support on Wife's Behalf
by FOXNews.com
Friday, March 21, 2008

|3.21.08 @ 3:51PM|#

Bill Clinton Heads to North Carolina to Tap Old Political Support on Wife's Behalf

So Lewinksy is in NC now?

|3.21.08 @ 5:20PM|#

I always thought X's second album was underrated. "Slippin'" was classic. So was "Who We Be" off "The Great Depression."

|3.21.08 @ 8:15PM|#

Silly Negro.

|3.22.08 @ 12:46AM|#

Now here's a guy who should have a talk show...

mnuez|3.22.08 @ 6:55AM|#

All y'all making fun of him for his limited speaking ability would do well to note that - as DMX himself points out - having limited abilities in the rhetorical arts is not always an impediment to greatness:


The president…they don't have that much authority basically?
Nah, never.

But Bush pretty much…
You think Bush is making fuckin' decisions?

He did, yeah, he fucked up the country.
He act like he making decisions. He could barely speak! He could barely fuckin' speak!
Can't be serious. He ain't making no damn decisions.


I wish his criticism wasn't so accurate so that I could, in good conscience, make some sort of snide remark about the pot calling the kettle African American.

mnuez
www.mnuez.blogspot.com

|3.22.08 @ 9:41PM|#

Why are we being treated to this fluff headed criminal's brain flatulences? Where is the reason in this stuff?

|3.24.08 @ 6:55AM|#

To the cultural critic/sociologist, there's gold in them thar hills. But, really DMX is a long-term manic-depressive, and his depressive side really seems to come out in this interview.

Evel Knievel|3.24.08 @ 8:28AM|#

Barack, what kinda name that be, yo? D.M.X. - now *that's* a name, bitches! Word.

Um. Homies. Peeps? Aw, I'm no good at this.