Among the many unique demographics that have shifted toward President Donald Trump in recent years, one of the most obvious has been the hip-hop community. Of the various rappers who have signaled some level of support for the president, few are more famous than Lil Wayne. And he recently shared some behind-the-scenes memories of his encounter with Trump several years ago, offering a candid — and generally glowing — assessment of the president. As the Daily Caller reported: The famous rapper took a spur-of-the-moment photograph with President Trump in Florida in October 2020, and it captured an interaction with the president that few others can lay claim to. Lil Wayne told the outlet that Trump was “an asshole” of a wisecracker who left him laughing hysterically throughout the day. “Ain’t take nothing serious,” he said of the experience. “Literally in there saying shit like, ‘What do we have to do again? Shit, I forgot.’” Lil Wayne said Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, greeted him before Trump joined them and said the president wanted to pardon him on federal gun charges that were then looming. Lil Wayne’s jet was raided in December 2019 and agents discovered a loaded gold-plated .45 caliber handgun. The famous artist said he didn’t even know who Kushner was at the time, but the day took an unexpectedly pleasant turn. The star discovered Kushner was a fan of his music and advocated for the pardon. A slew of other rappers have expressed their admiration for Trump, particularly in the run-up to the 2024 election: I’m dead Rapper “Trick Trick joins Trump on Stage… “Where’s Trick Trick? Get over here Trick Trick… maybe we should have him do a little rappin or something” pic.twitter.com/sWk52WEZV8 — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) October 19, 2024 Rapper, DaBaby endorses Trump.. “he’s a gangsta!” pic.twitter.com/Yvnb2q2y36 — Jay’V (@JayVTheGreat) October 15, 2024 Of course, Trump’s popularity in rap culture predates his entry into politics: Rappers have been giving props to Donald Trump for decades pic.twitter.com/dyfPIxfCuF — Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) November 8, 2016 In July, Complex reported on the trend: Over the years, more rappers started to support Trump, even if one can logically question what some of the motives were. Outside of Kanye—Lil Wayne, Kodak Black, and Lil Pump were the most fervent Trump supporters in the lead up to the 2020 election. It ended up being a savvy move for Wayne and Black, who were both pardoned right before Trump left the presidency in 2021. We are in very different times now. In 2024, Trump has had more success with rappers than any presidential candidate since Barack Obama in 2008. It’s also telling what kind of rappers are backing Trump: support is coming from figures in hip-hop who have notable fan bases but aren’t necessarily superstars. This coincides with Trump’s improved polling numbers among black male voters, bolstered by his focus on the migrant situation in various cities and inflation. Trump’s anti-establishment persona, historically aligned with hip-hop culture, has contributed to his appeal, as well as a general fatigue with Joe Biden, who was the nominee before he stepped aside this weekend. He is also credited for the 2020 stimulus checks intended to alleviate COVID-19 economic pressures. (Ironically, those stimulus checks helped over-heat the economy, leading to inflation.) If that’s not enough, here’s a pro-Trump rap song that gained significant popularity last year: BREAKING: A rap song supporting Trump has taken over the popular hip-hop website, WorldStar. It was released a day ago and is already closing in on 1 million views “President Trump, you got love in these streets.” “Kamala was locking us up. Trump was freeing them. When them… pic.twitter.com/fLzm8z8Y2v — George (@BehizyTweets) October 16, 2024