From early name-drops to scathing anthems, hip-hop’s view of Trump has shifted—now spotlighting a possible pardon for Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Since his earliest name-drops in rap lyrics of the 1990s, Donald Trump has occupied an endlessly mutable role in hip-hop culture—first as an aspirational symbol of billionaire swagger, then, with his entry into politics, as a target of fierce criticism.
Now, as President Trump publicly weighs a pardon for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs—convicted last month on prostitution-related charges—artists and fans are reminded of a fraught, decades-long relationship that has swung wildly between reverence and rejection.
Trump’s first notable mention in a rap song came in 1995, when Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Raekwon dubbed himself the “Black Trump” on his debut album. In the years that followed, references to Trump in braggadocious verses proliferated: Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller’s 2011 platinum hit “Donald Trump” saw him invoking the real-estate tycoon as the ultimate embodiment of success (“Take over the world when I’m on my Donald Trump …”).
A few years later, hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd celebrated a similar ethos in “Up Like Trump,” praising Trump’s wealth and “cool” factor.
But the 2016 election proved a turning point. As Trump’s public persona shifted from boardroom titan to polarizing presidential candidate, many in the rap community reassessed their earlier tributes. Mac Miller himself recanted his 2011 homage, telling Billboard that month that he’d underestimated the real political stakes.
“This (man) could possibly be the president of the United States, and that’s terrifying,” Miller said, describing the prospect as “horrible” for a country “that needs to move forward.”
The pace of denunciation quickened after Trump clinched the Republican nomination. California-raised rappers YG and the late Nipsey Hussle released the defiant single “FDT (Fuck Donald Trump)” in late 2016, excoriating the candidate’s rhetoric and warning that a Trump presidency would “crash us.”
Kendrick Lamar—who back in 2009 had casually invoked Trump as a metaphor for ambition in “Determined”—released blistering critiques in tracks like “The Heart Part 4” and “Lust,” labeling Trump a “chump” and lamenting the election results.
Still, not all corners of hip-hop have entirely abandoned the possibility of reconciliation. Trump’s recent suggestion—during an August 1 interview on Newsmax—that he might pardon Diddy, convicted in July on two counts of transportation for prostitution, has put that dynamic into sharp relief.
When asked whether he’d grant clemency to Combs, Trump demurred, noting that Diddy’s prior criticisms of him would make a pardon “more difficult.” The remark underlines the enduring tension between a president whose own celebrity was built on wealth-obsessed branding and a music culture that once celebrated—and now often scorns—that very image.
As Sean “Diddy” Combs remains detained in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, the pardon debate has reignited questions about hip-hop’s evolution from celebrating mogul mythologies to wielding its influence against them.
Whether Trump ultimately extends clemency to Combs will tell us not just about one high-profile case, but also how deeply—and how enduringly—the worlds of rap and presidential power remain intertwined.
Source: USA Today
