Four years ago, Barack Obama made history when he became the first black president of the United States, and Young Jeezy captured the moment for hip-hop with his anthem "My President." Fast-forward four years, the president has been re-elected for a second term, and Jeezy is prepared once again with his new single and video "We Done It Again" in support of Obama's victory.
Jeezy's new video, which premiered on Wednesday's (November 7) episode of "RapFix Live," opens with a snippet of Obama's speech during a White House dinner, as he tells a crowd, "In my first term, I sang Al Green. In my second term, I'm going with Young Jeezy."
Jeezy sent MTV News a statement about what the new song and video mean to him: "To every ghetto In the world. In 2008 we celebrated history with 'My President' is black. In 2012 I want Barack to know we got his back and we 'Done It Again.' We don't wait for history, we claim victory!"
In the black-and-white clip, a gleaming Rolls Royce is contrasted with shots of a neighborhood and its residents in distress, incorporating hopeful images of Obama campaign posters while Jeezy raps, "We waiting on a savior, maybe Barack." The Atlanta rapper proceeds to touch on hot-button issues in the black community, including New Orleans' slow recovery, Trayvon Martin's tragic shooting and the current war zone in Chicago's inner-city neighborhoods.
At first, Jeezy's lyrics seem odd against the visual of him cruising around in his Rolls Royce while the community around him is in shambles, but it all makes sense toward the end of the clip when he hands over the car keys to a family who is being forced to leave their home, likely because they can't afford it.
Though some of the images in the video are disheartening, the message of positivity and resilience that the song promotes will surely win Obama over one more time. In 2009, Jeezy celebrated Obama's inaugural weekend with a live performance of "My President" in D.C., where Jay-Z joined him to spit a new verse on the track, rapping, "Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther could walk/ Martin Luther walked so Barack Obama could run/ Barack Obama ran so all the children could fly."
"It's just the progression. ... You sat, you walked, you ran, you ran to fly," Jay told of the song's lyrics back in 2009. "You know, just the progression and how far we've come as a nation. It feels good to say that, 'cause I never had that type of feeling to say as a nation, like I was part of the American dream. And I believe a lot of people didn't feel like a part of the American process for so long.
"Now everyone's included in the American process this great day," he added. "So that's the progression and the process. Now there's no excuses for anybody. Now you can look into a child's eyes and say, 'Get it together. You can be president.' It's not an easy thing, but it can happen. And we have evidence to the fact."