Although it's been circulating since Barack Obama's inauguration earlier in the year, veteran Toronto MC King Reign's powerful oratory missive "The Audacity of Hope" has been picking up a lot of steam recently, proving that the Obama honeymoon is not over at least in the musical sense.
Part of the reason may be that King Reign's take on Obama focuses far less on the historic moment of Obama's win and is far less literal than entries such as Young Jeezy's "My President." Instead King Reign's commanding rap-cum-sermon focuses on the philosophical and inspirational impact of Obama's presidency on youthful aspirations.
It's also helped in no small way by a quake-inducing leftfield beat delivered by red-hot Toronto hip-hop producer Rich Kidd, who scored K-OS' "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman."
Any suspicion that King Reign is rhyming about the U.S. president because it is fashionable can be dismissed by his own actions. King Reign actually made the trek to Washington to watch President Obama's inauguration and also rolled to Ottawa for his Canadian visit and just happened to be in Byward Market when Obama decided to stop by a bakery store to buy a beavertail. No word on whether he got close enough to pass on this track.
Click here to listen to King Reign's "The Audacity of Hope"
Part of the reason may be that King Reign's take on Obama focuses far less on the historic moment of Obama's win and is far less literal than entries such as Young Jeezy's "My President." Instead King Reign's commanding rap-cum-sermon focuses on the philosophical and inspirational impact of Obama's presidency on youthful aspirations.
It's also helped in no small way by a quake-inducing leftfield beat delivered by red-hot Toronto hip-hop producer Rich Kidd, who scored K-OS' "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman."
Any suspicion that King Reign is rhyming about the U.S. president because it is fashionable can be dismissed by his own actions. King Reign actually made the trek to Washington to watch President Obama's inauguration and also rolled to Ottawa for his Canadian visit and just happened to be in Byward Market when Obama decided to stop by a bakery store to buy a beavertail. No word on whether he got close enough to pass on this track.
Click here to listen to King Reign's "The Audacity of Hope"