Skip Navigation
Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

Hip-Hop and Voter Registration

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Jul 31 2008, 9:04 AM ET Comment

I'm going to second Tim Fernholz skepticism of using artists--and art, for that matter--as a way to influence elections. Vote or Die was a joke from jump, mostly because the people involved, while interested in the cause, overestimated their power. Frankly, I don't think people listen to music to figure out which way to vote. Nor should they. Music is influential, but not in the easy mathematical way (if you listen to this, you'll do this) that a lot of us want it to be.



Presented by

More at The Atlantic

A Crackdown in Crayon: Bahrain's Children Draw Their Country's Crisis Bahrain's Children Draw Their Country in Crisis
The Intersection of Design and Technology The Intersection of Design and Technology
The Middling Hilarity of 'The Dictator' Sacha Baron Moves to the Middle of the Pack With 'The Dictator'
Wes Anderson's 'Moonrise Kingdom' Opens Cannes on a Sweet Note 'Moonrise Kingdom': A Sweet Ode to Young Campers in Love
Israel Training Birds to Spy on Turkish Farmers, Says New Conspiracy Theory Mossad's Latest Recruit: Israeli Spy Birds?

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Special Report
Curing What Ails the Health Care System Reuters Curing What Ails the Health Care System
The third installment of America the Fixable—an Atlantic special report Read more ›
View All Correspondents

The Biggest Story in Photos

Scenes From Brazil

May 18, 2012

Subscribe Now

SAVE 59%! 10 issues JUST $2.45 PER COPY

Facebook

Newsletters

Sign up to receive our free newsletters

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

Ta-Nehisi Coates
from the Magazine

Why Do So Few Blacks Study the Civil War?

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an Atlantic senior editor.

Fade to White

A filmmaker maps Austin’s shifting ethnic landscape.

The Legacy of Malcolm X

Why his vision lives on in Barack Obama