‘Hip-Hop and the White House’ explores relationships with various presidents

Hip-Hop and the White House, a documentary produced by Andscape, Hulu and 360, explores the relationship between U.S. presidents and the powerful cultural movement that is hip-hop. The film examines how presidents have engaged with hip-hop culture and how hip-hop culture has reacted to the presidency, the most powerful position on the planet.

The film examines how oppressive presidential policies of the 70s and 80s gave birth to hip-hop. It also chronicles how presidential administrations courted and embraced the once-ignored and misunderstood culture for its unparalleled influence on American youth. That tension between the White House and hip-hop  became a celebration with the Atlanta rap icon Jeezy’s bars about Barack Obama’s election in his 2009 song, “My President.”

KRS-One makes a guest appearance in the documentary and explains his belief that President Reagan played a role in the creation of crack cocaine. Congresswoman Maxine Waters passionately emphasized that the phrase “F— the police” represented something new and different and that hip-hop has new ideas and language. Common shed light on Kanye West’s bold and controversial statement that called out George Bush for failing to care about the welfare of black people. This remark sent shock waves throughout society as it challenged the status quo and sparked a much-needed conversation about the systemic discrimination that has plagued our nation for far too long.

Hip-Hop and the White House is skillfully directed by Jesse Washington, one of the film’s executive producers, who also include Jezzy, Jason Aidoo, Dwayne Bray, Jordan Benston, Ernest Dukes, Mary Almonte and Steve Reiss. The documentary will premiere on Hulu on April 22.