Use of the Confederate Flag in Hip Hop
How rappers have addressed the South's symbol of racism.
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Change Gonna Come? - In the wake of the Charleston Massacre, President Obama is standing firm in his belief that the Confederate flag belongs in a museum. The NAACP president Cornell Brooks calls it an "emblem of hate." And the shooter in South Carolina reportedly had one on the license plate of his car.Read on for a look at how hip hop has flipped and dismissed the controversial symbol.(Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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Yelawolf's Sunday "Best" - Looks like Yelawolf has been using the Confederate flag to help show off his southern pride, but it's wrapped him up in a world of controversy. After posting pics of himself adorned with a symbol that is often also correlated with this nation's history of slavery and systemic racism, Yela quickly deleted them.(Photo: Yelawolf via Instagram)
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Kanye West's Tour Gear - Kanye West drew the ire of Al Sharpton and the side eye of fans when he began selling merchandise that features the Confederate flag at his Yeezus tour. "I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. It's my flag now. Now, what you gonna do?" he said in his defense. *Kanye shrug* (Photo: Virgil Abloh via Instagram)
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Nas' "Testify" Lyrics - In this song off his 2008 Untitled LP, Nas uses the controversial flag to illustrate a violent reaction to racism. "Send these redneck bigots to some death in a bag," Nas rhymes. "Choke him out with his Confederate flag/I know these devils are mad." (Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)
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Lil Wayne's "Georgia...Bush" Lyrics - On his 2006 mixtape Dedication 2, Weezy blasted President George W. Bush for mishandling Hurricane Katrina relief. On "Georgia...Bush," specifically, Wayne mentions the symbol of the Confederacy to call out Southerners who support him. "We see them Confederate flags, you know what it is/A white cracker motherf**r that probably voted for him." (Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for Clear Channel)
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Pastor Troy's Hometown Pride - Atlanta-bred rhymer Pastor Troy wanted to show hometown pride in the video for his 2001 hit "This Tha City," but may have taken it too far when he had Black folks in the video boldly wearing and flashing the contoverisal flag. (Photo: Universal Records)
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Fat Joe's "My Conscience" Lyrics - Trying to reconcile his drug huslting past with the cut "My Conscience," Fat Joe mentions the rebel rag as he contemplates possibly running for office. "Yeah, wave the Confederate flag like some Southerners?!" he wonders. "Nah! I rather be on the block like a hustler."(Photo: Chris McKay/Getty Images for BET)
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Ludacris's Fashion Statement - In 2005, Ludacris performed his song “Georgia” at the Vibe Music Awards wearing a Confederate flag-inspired jumpsuit. But before anyone could scream "foul," he stripped it off, stomped on it and replaced it with another jumpsuit — a Confederate flag done in African pride colors of red, black and green. (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Usher's New Look Foundation)
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Immortal Technique's "Crossing the Boundary" Lyrics - The political-minded MC pointed his lyrical gun at controversial senator Trent Lott, saying he'd wrap the power player's body in the Confederate flag after he musically burns him. (Photo: Chelsea Lauren/WireImage)
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MJG's No More Glory Artwork - For his first solo LP, No More Glory, in 1997, MJG found inspiration from the flag for his cover art, showing it burning in the background. (Photo: Draper Inc Records)
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