In 2016, Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, was gaining popularity among the masses, despite his controversial campaign. This prompted many to respond, including rappers YG and the late Nipsey Hussle, who created a song to express their strong criticisms. Now, a post-Trump victory for Joe Biden in the 2020 election has “FDT” back on the charts.
What We Know:
- “FDT”, or “F*** Donald Trump”, was a song released by Nipsey and YG back in March of 2016 and is featured on YG’s album Still Brazy. The track features Nipsey’s support for Mexican immigrants, soundbites from Black protestors, and a call to action as voters headed to the polls in November.
- The song was not released before facing some conflicts. According to an article by Billboard, the music video set on Crenshaw Boulevard and 71st street for “FDT” was shut down by the LAPD. YG even mentioned the involvement of the Secret Service trying to take the song down and being forced to cut out parts of the controversial song.
- The protest anthem of the summer was clearly a hit in 2016. But a new article by Complex Magazine suggests the song is hitting new highs. The song reportedly made a 221% jump in sales on November 2nd through the 3rd and had surpassed over a million streams on the day the election polls closed. Other anthems re-entering the charts were Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” and NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye”.
- YG has also released two follow-up protest songs called “FTP” and “FDT, part 2”. It seems YG has kept his stance on the 45th president. When the song re-entered the charts, YG posted a number of tweets promoting the viral anti-Trump song and the words “F*** Donald Trump”.
With the U.S. elections finally coming to an end, and an overall stressful year, Americans are in the mood to celebrate. A celebration would be nothing without a good playlist!
