T.I. and Obama: A Thin Line Between Love and Great
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T.I. and President-elect Barack Obama may have more in common than you would think. Yes, Tip is a rapper from the hoods for west Atlanta, deliberately hardened by his stressed environment and the rapidly evaporating opportunities that engulfed his community. Obama, on the other hand, was reared by his grandmother and spent the bulk of his childhood in the tourist-heavy state of Hawaii.
One would go on to make history as the first black president of the U.S. The other would go on to set trends in hip-hop, becoming one of the most successful artists in the world. But even with those seemingly huge differences, a blaring similarity remains—their commitment to the community and what’s more, the individual maverick inclinations that undoubtedly drive both of them.
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While Obama was navigating the halls of Columbia University and later Harvard Law School, Tip was navigating the streets, and later, the vocal booth. But both of them found solace with the people. Even before his arrest on gun charges, Tip’s influence in the Atlanta community was well noted, as he actively used his celebrity to bring a sense of hope to the people that helped shape him into the man he is today. Meanwhile, Obama’s involvement was quickly shaping him into a go-to figure in the state of Illinois.
But the thing that really shapes both men is the way that they view the people they serve. Taking the approach that they are not just helping the community but that they are actually a part of it, they have ultimately become more than just leaders. They have become symbols of hope. Looks like the line between community love and greatness isn’t so thin after all.
–rogue marie
