No Child Left Behind Act And Kanye’s Late Response On Wax

The No Child Left Behind Act was introduced by John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio on March 22, 2001. One of the main provisions of the legislation was providing federal funding to schools that engaged in standardized testing. As a part of his 2000 campaign, George W. Bush promised education reform. Both houses passed the legislation with nearly unanimous votes, and Bush signed it into law on January 8, 2002.

But what became clear with No Child Left Behind is that it ironically set out to penalize schools in districts that already had low education performance. State governments created the proficiency marks– and if a school consistently missed the passing threshold, their funding was reduced. This consequently meant lack of money for updated textbooks and material that helped with standardized tests that became harder, as well as pay for teachers. There was also the consequence of “gaming the system,” by simply passing students through grade levels to decrease dropout rates and not to alert the government of poor performance at schools.

On today’s internet, the No Child Left Behind Act is often referred to as a meme when someone states something stupid online. Bush is often blamed for an individual (or a group of individuals) making a faux pas regarding information that should have been learned in school. For his 2021 album, ‘Donda,’ Kanye included a short interlude named after the act, where the premise is not to abandon a child when they are failing.

The iraq War

Weapons of Mass Destruction and Xzibit’s Response Album

Prior to the Invasion of Iraq, The Bush administration alerted American citizens of possible “weapons of mass destruction” existing in the Middle East. During his 2002 State of the Union address he focused on an “axis of evil” that included Iraq. In 2003, Bush furthered his agenda with a State of the Union address that targeted Saddam Hussein– claiming that the Iraqi president created those weapons. That included but not limited to anthrax and nuclear weapons. Eventually through investigations and journalistic reporting, it would be revealed that Hussein did not orchestrate such.

Xzibit released Weapons of Mass Destruction at the end of 2004, as a result of Bush’s re-election and the on-going Iraq War. On the opening track, “State of the Union,” the rapper mocks the 2002 address,

splicing the words of George Bush where it seems the President was referring to himself as a “dictator.” “My ultimate ambitions are to control the peoples of the United States, and to blackmail the rest of the world with weapons of mass terror. Weapons of Mass Destruction,” finishes the intro. On “L.A.X.,” the rapper claims over a West Coast g-funk beat, “You better get ready for war.”

The Invasion of Iraq, Capture of Saddam Hussein, Ja Rule’s “Clap Back,” Mos Def’s War, and the re-release of Eric B. & Rakim’s “Casualties of War”

On March 17, 2003 at 8:01 PM in the Cross Hall of the White House, President Bush stood in front of the nation in a televised address. “My fellow citizens,” started the President. “Events in Iraq have now reached the final days of decision. For more than a decade, the United States and other nations have pursued patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime without war.” He gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to surrender power to American forces.
On March 19, 2003, the Invasion of Iraq began with air strikes. That night from the Oval Office, Bush informed the nation at 10:16 P.M.: “My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq.” Ground efforts proceeded on March 20, before capturing the capital of Baghdad on April 9.  Saddam Hussein was forced to give up his presidency, and went into hiding. On December 13, 2003, he was captured by American troops during Operation Red Dawn.

Picture: President Bush addresses the Nation on March 20, 2003 from the Oval Office about the Invasion of Iraq.

On “Clap Back” – a diss at 50 Cent and Eminem– Ja Rule referenced the leader with, “It's real! Hussein what's happenin' n!gga?/I see you, aight Shadow what's poppin' blat!” Throughout the chorus, Ja Rule shouts “Let’s take ‘em to war.” In another bar, he claims “Let's take 'em to war, n!gga, like Bush and Saddam, Imma find out where Em Laden's hidin’” – a reference to al-Queda’s leader, Osama. The song reached No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at No. 12 on the Rap Songs Chart

On June 30, 2004, Hussein was transferred from custody of the US on Camp Cropper in Baghdad to the interim-acting Iraqi government. The Iraqi’s began a trial process against Hussein for his crimes against humanity with the first hearing happening on July 1, 2004. In October, Mos Def– who went by (and still does) Yasiin Bey– released “War” where he starts with “War is a global economic phenomenon.” Utilizing repetitive terms like “go get my money” and “f*ck you pay me,” he criticizes how war oddly leads to economic gains through the acts of people supporting violent deaths.

Eminem’s “Mosh Pit” and Bush’s 2004 Re-Election

In the midst of the war, President Bush was up for re-election against Democratic candidate, John Kerry. On October 26, 2004, Eminem released an animated music video for “Mosh Pit.” As a cartoon character he performs a concert for a group of fans– mobilizing them to storm the White House. Instead the plot twist is that these militant individuals are signing up to vote, with a message at the end for real American citizens to do so on November 2. Bush ended up winning the electoral college and the popular vote.

Hurricane Katrina and Lil Wayne’s Response for Nola

On August 30, 2005, a category 5 hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast– primarily bringing national attention to New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina caused over 1,800 fatalities and an estimated $125 billion in damages. The Bush Administration and FEMA were criticized to their late response to the natural disaster– as the news cycles looped coverage of stranded and poor citizens affected by the storm. Aside from Kanye West’s infamous “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people” outburst during a telethon, Lil Wayne released the diss “Georgia Bush.”

The Great Recession and Ludacris Grammy-winning song

Due to the catastrophic events not only happening in the United States, but also the world, the economy hit a “Great Recession.” Encapsulated by a housing crisis, skyrocketing unemployment, and stock market crashes, Jeezy summarized it best in 2008 album, ‘Recession’ “everybody broke.” Prior, Ludacris took a political rap turn on his Grammy winning Best Rap Album, ‘Release Therapy.’ On his single, “Slap,” Ludacris commentates on this while also dissing Bush’s policies.