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The Desi Rappers Who Are Fighting To Make Bernie Sanders President
While the Democratic Party vet through their candidates to see who will stand up in November for the Presidential election, one person in particular, Bernie Sanders is boasting probably the most multicultural roster of supporters by far which include Desi hip-hop rappers Shah and Anik Khan. We take a closer look at how Shah and Khan got into the Bernie game.
Following our list of Top 10 Desi Rappers To Watch Out For In 2020, readers have been reaching out with fascinating questions and comments about the featured rappers. Questions have ranged from why Desi hip hop lacks the collaborations seen amongst artists elsewhere in hip hop, to whom we think will be the first Desi rapper to win a Grammy. Rapper superfans also sent in captivating information about their favourite artists. One timely piece of information repeatedly mentioned by readers was how two of the rappers from our Top 10 list, Shah and Anik Khan, have been working with US Senator Bernie Sanders 2020 US presidential campaign.
Well, with that info we couldn’t help but dive a bit deeper. Especially since Bernie Sanders is leading the race to become the Democratic candidate for the upcoming American presidential election. This is how it all started…
In October, 2019, Anik Khan performed at a Bernie Sanders rally in Queens, NY. One month later, when Senator Bernie was in Atlanta for the fourth Democratic Party Candidates Debate, Shah performed at Bernie Sanders fundraiser with Killer Mike. Anik Khan has shared openly why he is a Bernie supporter, “I am an immigrant, my parents are immigrants. We came here with nothing and the reason I’m able to do what I love is people like him.”
Shah’s social media shows his support of Bernie Sanders dating back to 2016. Shah is a national campaign surrogate for Bernie Sanders, which as explained by another Sanders national surrogate Phillip Agnew means using his network to amplify Sanders’ message of ‘Not Me. Us’.
Observing Shah’s social media illustrates how he helps amplify Bernie’s message. During an Instagram Live that Shah broadcasted from a Grammy awards ceremony on January 25th, Shah was asked by a fan about why he supports Sanders to which he responded by saying “Bernie is a purely driven by his compassion for others. He’s devoted his life to creating positive change for real people. He takes on and wins fights, like against corporate greed, that most would find too daunting to even consider. History will remember Bernie as this generations Gandhi, Martin, Muhammad Ali. And we have the chance to make him president.” It was clear that this message resonated, by the reactions of the other musicians who surrounded Shah.
Searching for more information on Bernie and Shah led to memes upon memes. There even appears to be a song made from audio of Shah and Killer Mike recorded at the Bernie Fundraiser in Atlanta last November. This publicly generated content further suggests that Shah’s message about Bernie is resonating with fans.
During an recent interview at Youtube Studios Shah was asked about sacrificing time as an artist to devote to a political cause. “My satisfaction as an artist comes from creating joy and uplifting fans,” Shah answered. “So to me its an honour to serve a candidate who’s genuinely devoted his life to others. I wish I could do more.
Bernie didn’t inherit any party infrastructure or resources. And he refuses to fight dirty, so the campaign’s only option is to work tirelessly, and its already a grassroots operation. So most of the times when I’ve had ideas to activate new communities, I just try to figure it out and execute myself because the team is already flooded.”
It’s easy to see how Sanders being so fiercely supported by prominent Desi rappers like Shah and Anik Khan will attract their fans and followers who might otherwise be disinterested in politics. Now with the first Democratic Party Caucus behind us and the campaign to become the Democratic Party nominee for President in full swing, this Desi connection makes it even more fascinating to watch.
Main Image Photo Credit: instagram.com/anikkhan; instagram.com/dayofshah, buzzfeed
Sara Singh
Author
Sara Basma (https://medium.com/@sarabossma) is an emerging entertainment journalist from Athens, GA. She's currently studying communications at the University of Miami. Among her areas of interest & expertise are hip-hop subgenres, including: Desi hip-hop, Soundcloud rap, golden trap and politic...
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