Choosing not to pledge allegiance to the American flag had rapper Lupe Fiasco make headlines
in the course of last month.
On September 25th was
released Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, Lupe
Fiasco’s fourth studio album. In "Strange Fruitition", first song of the album,
Lupe sings:
"Now I can't pledge allegiance to your flag/'Cause I can't find no reconciliation with your past".
Being the young, Black hip-hop
artist that he is, coming from a Muslim family, it just seems logical for him
not to pledge allegiance to the flag. That decision has earned him criticism
from the media and blogosphere, as well as his lyrics, questioning U.S.
politics and putting emphasis on socio-economic inequalities.
Having also once
called Obama a terrorist and refusing to vote on November 6, Lupe has been
called unpatriotic and anti-American by many people and his influence on young
Black men has been brought up. What if he encourages the Black community not to
vote?
I understand Lupe
Fiasco’s decision to not pledge allegiance, because I think this whole pledging
thing is done according to values that might not represent all Americans –
including Lupe himself. Once it is done in a way that all different cultures
within America can relate to, I think he probably will… but there’s a long way
to go. Even though I disagree with the idea of not voting to make a statement,
I don’t think we should put the blame on a single person for influencing a
whole community. Yes, he is a public figure, but he still has the right to make choices for himself and express these choices in his music and media appearances without having to censure himself.
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