Stars And Stripes: 5 Rappers Who Could Run The White House

With the 2016 presidential election fast approaching, America's options are looking rather limited. We’ve bore witness to right-wing candidates, such as Donald Trump, Democratic contenders like Bernie Sanders, and, for the first, time, a woman putting in her bid a la Hillary Clinton but what if hip-hop's finest took over?

Conscious rap leaders have set off alarms to wake this generation up since the times of N.W.A. These days, sitting through Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly or watch the visual for J. Cole's "G.O.M.D." is enough to spark political conversation. With all the immigration policies, healthcare debates and foreign debt drawing question marks for current candidates, hip-hop has been taking a stand on crucial issues with only a pen and a mic.

Before the next election rolls around, VIBE whipped up an imaginary ballot for hip-hop POTUS with five conscious MCs we’d crown Leader Of The New World. Sorry, Waka.—Diamond Hillyer

NAS

Since his 1994 debut Illmatic, Nas' voice has resonated beyond his native Queensbridge. With the internationally-released single “I Can,” which invoked motivation and inspiration for the underprivileged, started a wave of positive rap lyrics to influence the youth.

Aside from using his bars to spread awareness on social injustice, the rapper dove head first into political circles with appearances on CNN segments like “Race and Justice in America II.” Nas even joined the Millions March in NYC last December.