Rap mogul Jay-Z followed through on reports suggesting he would appear in Ohio Monday (November 5) to give one final showing of support for President Barack Obama hours before Election Day.
At a pro-Obama rally, Young Hov performed his “99 Problems” anthem and made a slight edit to the song’s lyrics purposely for Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
President Obama deployed a double-dose of star power for his Ohio campaign finale, using performances by legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen and rapper Jay-Z to energize the crowd of about 15,000 just over 12 hours before the first election day polls open across the state. Jay-Z, a longtime Obama backer and fundraiser, brought down the house with a bone-shaking and deafeningly loud set of his hits that included a censored rendition of “99 Problems,” replacing the word “b***” with “Mitt.” (ABC News)
Jay also addressed his decision to use some dicey lyrics in reference to President Obama’s rival.
“They told me no colorful language. So I brought two songs. I have to do it, I’m sorry,” Jay-Z joked upon taking the stage. “I changed the lyric of the song. It goes like this – so let’s do it real fast before they come up here” and take the mic away. “99 problems but Mitt ain’t one. If you’re having girl problems I feel bad for you son,” he sang in the chorus refrain. “I got 99 problems but Mitt ain’t one…” The audience roared. (ABC News)
Recently, President Obama revealed Jay is just one of various musicians in his iPod.
Interviewed Monday on Cincinnati radio station WIZF, Obama ran through his musical tastes, an eclectic and all-encompassing list of artists and tracks that reflect the varied coalition of voters he is seeking to attract. Asked what was on the “presidential iPod,” Obama replied that he had “a pretty good mix.” “I’ve got old school – Stevie Wonder , James Brown . I’ve got Rolling Stones , Bob Dylan ,” he said. There are also plenty of tracks that young voters might have downloaded to their own collections. “And then I’ve got everything from Jay-Z , to Eminem , to the Fugees , to you name it. There’s probably not a group that you play that I don’t have on my iPod,” Obama told the station’s E.J. Greig. (Billboard)
The head of state also recently revealed one of his favorite Jigga records.
“During campaign time, I try to keep it upbeat,” President Obama said in an interview. “We just talked about Jay-Z–there’s a bunch of Jay-Z songs on my iPod. I gotta say ‘My First Song.’ Keeps me steady. It reminds you that you always have to stay hungry.” (Z107.9)
Check out Jay-Z in Ohio:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv4pv6b7dIM]
