In the wake of President-Elect Barack Obama’s campaign is a slew of Hip-Hop shit that views the office of the presidency favorably in perhaps the first truly positive light. I saw an airbrushed “Obama” shirt during a CNN segement from Harlem and was speechless. Airbrushed. Presidential. Tee.

But last night I was listening to the radio as they spliced segments of Mr. Obama’s moving Grant Park acceptance speech with joints featuring the man’s name or the concept of a Black president. From Common’s “The People” to Luda’s rabble-rousing “Obama Is Coming” to Tupac’s “Changes,” it was the first time I wasn’t annoyed with the onslaught of this new wave of political rap. Whereas before I saw an exploitation of subject matter on the level of “A Milli” freestyles, now I rather see an open door and opportunity for rap to regain focus on something important. Engaging. Where emcees start using their brains and not just their mouths and even party tracks have less snaps and more “I Get Around.”

When I reached my destination last night I ran into Diz Gibran who told me he had just finished recording an Obama track called “Black Emperor.”

“It’s not corny though,” he said.

“Man, there’s a lot of corny stuff out right now,” I said.

“Nah, this is just some shit I needed to get off my chest,” he assured me.

And it’s not corny. At all.

Diz Gibran – “Black Emperor”

And he assured me we’ll be seeing the mixtape in January, no “if”s, “and”s or “but”s.