Arrest The President

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As anyone who frequents Bluesky will tell you (if they're being honest), the platform's most redeeming quality — that it is not vulnerable to the whims of a pill-addled Nazi sympathizer so racked with insecurity that he lied about being good at video games — is also its Achilles' heel. Even as the platform has soared past the 30 million user mark, a disproportionate amount of content is still about the guy who doesn't own it, and the social and governmental havoc he's wreaking in general. So when a post lands on your timeline that's about something even mildly off the beaten path — music, sports — it sticks out. Like this one did to me, the other day:

I don't have nearly the punk rock bonafides to weigh in one way or the other on Green Day or American Idiot specifically, but it nonetheless reminded me — particularly amidst the conversations that followed Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show — of some things I'd been kicking around about the political awareness and social consciousness that seemed to permeate that period (2004, and the years thereabouts) in hip-hop, and a comparative dearth of that energy today.

Sure, larger-than-life figures like 50 Cent and Lil Wayne weren't exactly releasing protest songs about the Iraq War. But the 2000s was a lot more than just "Laffy Taffy" and "Pimp Juice" and "Get Low" and "In Da Club" (though it was, also, very much those things). It was also Brother Ali and "Uncle Sam Goddamn." Talib Kweli and "Get By." It was the overtly political "Hip Hop" by Dead Prez being the official intro music to maybe the TV show that most defined the decade, Chapelle's Show. It was a superstar-in-the-making like Kanye West saying the sitting president "doesn't care about black people" on live TV (moments earlier: "I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, 'They're looting.' You see a white family, it says, 'They're looking for food.'"). A time when a dark and dystopian album like the Roots' Rising Down — with album artwork derived from an 1898 Raleigh News & Observer illustration decrying the devilish specter of "Negro Rule" — could chart at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 (No. 1 in Rap).

Against the craven, empire-expanding backdrop of the Bush II regime, it's not difficult to understand where the appetite for music of a more agitative and disillusioned sort would come from. What's less clear in 2025, as President Donald Trump presides over an audacious, near-complete disassembly of the very social contract itself, is where that spirit has gone today.

So when I came across a post the other day from rapper, producer and Justus League member Edgar Allen Floe, hearkening back to a song from his 2008 debut album called "Arrest The President (Cypher God)," I knew I had to reach out, even just for a few thoughts. I shot these questions over by email, and EA was kind enough to hit me back with these timely, and thoughtful, responses. I highly recommend listening to The Streetwise LP in full on Bandcamp, and more recent single releases like "The Red Method" and "BALCO Theme" on his website.

SE: Assumptions can be made given the time it was released, but what was the motivating force behind making that song? To some, the statement "Arrest the President" could pretty much apply to any time in American history, and the song speaks to those themes. But why did you release it when you did?

EAF: The motivation to record the track started off as pure inspiration from a hip-hop perspective. My track is a remake of the original that dropped back in 1990 from the legendary Tragedy Khadafi aka Intelligent Hoodlum. I always thought the original was so powerful back in the day and was one of my favorites as a kid. For my debut album, I wanted to record to something that inspired me to rhyme but wanted it to be a challenge as well. The track is super uptempo with highly politically charged lyrics, so I thought it would be dope to keep the essence of the original alive and make it interesting by reintroducing that same energy in a different era. Both eras are the same in many ways since in 2007, George W. Bush was the president while his dad was president back in 1990. Similar political issues during both times as well, so the timing of releasing my version just felt right.

"We all need to really think about what's happening and ask yourself when this is all over, what side of history were you on. This isn't a Democrats vs. Republicans issue — this is simply Good vs. Evil."

When I heard it, the song immediately brought me back to some of the more politically charged hip-hop that marked the Bush era, like songs by Dead Prez, The Roots, Brother Ali, etc. No specific politicians are named, but it's almost like you don't need liner notes to know this was released around that time. How aligned does that song feel to that moment in time, compared to other eras in hip-hop?

For me, hip-hop always had a political edge to speak on issues going on during particular moments in time. I think the sad part is, Ice Cube can drop "When Will They Shoot" in 1992, for example, but 30-plus years later, the same issues that he spoke on back then are still happening today. So for me, my version of "Arrest the President" was relevant for 2008 coming from my perspective – and given that we still have inequality, systemic racism and everything in between, it makes my lyrics just as relevant today as they were when I dropped the track 17 years ago.

This came to my attention because you re-posted it, nearly 20 years later, to your IG. How does it feel listening to it now, and how applicable do you think it is to the circumstances we find ourselves in today?

When I hear the track today, I'm listening from a couple of different perspectives. The first perspective is from an emcee and artist – where I'm still impressed with my performance of the track to this day. I hope my version can live up to Tragedy's original to some degree. So as a hip-hop fan, I enjoy listening to both versions.

"How do we mobilize? How do we see the big picture that goes beyond a particular race or ethnic group – and think about humanity as a whole? Rap about that!"

But the second perspective is from the social and political spectrum. I think what we see today is a "2.0" version of politics that goes beyond anything we've ever seen, at least overtly. From where I sit, I think what we're seeing today is the root of the world's issues finally coming to the light with no cloak like it's been for decades. Inequality, racism, and all other forms of discrimination are symptoms of the real war between Rich and Poor, and the stars have aligned where those that want to become richer and rule the world are trying to seize the moment. We all need to really think about what's happening and ask yourself when this is all over, what side of history were you on. This isn't a Democrats vs. Republicans issue — this is simply Good vs. Evil. I could go on and on but I hope you get my point.

It would seem that our need for politically conscious music has never been greater — maybe even than it was in 2008. How present do you feel that perspective is in hip-hop (or music generally) today?

Completely agree. I'll be honest, I think we need to see a lot more artists using their platforms to speak up about what we're seeing in the world. I'm not seeing a ton of hip-hop artists right now that care to speak up. A small handful for sure, but nowhere near how it used to be even 20 years ago. And for me, even some artists that are "political" do it for social media clout where I don't really respect their intentions. Most importantly, I hope artists that want to speak about the social or political climate don't just talk about the problems. We have decades worth of artists speaking on the problems but virtually no one is talking about solutions.

That's where we need to take it moving forward. How can we solve some of these problems? How do we mobilize? How do we see the big picture that goes beyond a particular race or ethnic group – and think about humanity as a whole? Rap about that!

Ryan Cocca is the founder/editor of Super Empty, a former furniture entrepreneur, and as this article attests, officially a shakes-fist-at-cloud Old Head. He (I) can be reached at ryan@superempty.com, or on Bluesky.