Donald Trump attempted to court Gen Z voters by appearing on a livestream with Adin Ross on Monday (August 5). Things quickly became absurd when Trump used 50 Cent’s “Many Man” as entrance music for the stream.
Various memes linked 50 Cent’s song to Trump after the former president survived an assassination attempt. Trump walked out to “Many Men” despite the objections of the song’s producer Darrell “Digga” Branch, who said he’d refuse to let Trump’s campaign use the song.
“I’m not feeling dude at all,” Branch told TMZ in July. “I’m not voting for him. People that know me and close to me know that I go in hard on him every chance I get … The irony of my song being connected to this is just crazy.”
The 50 Cent entrance was just the beginning of Trump’s pandering to rap fans on the stream. Trump claimed he would help Young Thug be treated fairly in the rapper’s Georgia RICO case if re-elected.
“I’ve heard about him,” Trump said of Young Thug. “I heard he’s being treated very unfairly by [Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis]. And I would tell her she’s gotta treat these patriots that are being all—terrible. They’re going after them. And I heard Young Thug is being treated—I heard the name. I heard it from other people where they say he’s being treated very unfairly. So, he’s gotta be treated fairly.”
Trump also spoke highly of Kanye West. The ex-president called Ye a “complicated” person, downplaying the outspoken rapper/producer’s controversies.
“Let’s say complicated because he is,” Trump said. “He’s a really nice guy, but he can get himself into trouble and he gets some other people [into trouble]. But, you know, he’s got a good heart. He does. He does. But he’s complicated.”
Trump is running for president despite his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. His opponent is Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee once President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.