One of the benefits of writing for a music blog is you don’t have to follow politics unless you just want to, or unless some politician is so desperate they think commissioning a campaign song Auto-tuned up the yin-yang and with lyrics that went out of style when disco did is going to improve their chances at the ballot box. “Farouk is on fire now/ Please call the firemen”? Seriously?
Therefore, we have no idea how Houston curling-iron tycoon Farouk Shami is tracking in today’s Democratic primary against former Mayor Bill White – not that you’d know it by watching local TV lately, but the Rick Perry/Kay Bailey Hutchison scrap is not the only race on today’s ballot – but judging by rapper J. Xavier’s above tribute, it can’t be too good.
“Solutions for Texas/ When it comes to the state who’s gonna rep it?” Unless he’s counting on that notoriously hard-to-read “T-Pain constituency” to bring him a bunch of 11th-hour votes, probably not this guy.
We’re thinking today’s probable Democratic winner White might want to take a few notes and start placing those calls to Trae, Chamillionaire, Lil Flip, Z-Ro (OK, probably not him) and whichever other local rappers he can think of. Whether Perry or Hutchison wins on the GOP side, either one is going to run a pretty intimidating campaign in the general election, and White is going to need all the muscle – musical and otherwise – he can muster.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2010.
