GOP Engages Millennials through Hip Hop Musical about Restricting Reproductive Rights

By Katie Zellner

April 23, 2016

“Seventeen, seh-seh-seventeen. SB seventeen twenty two.”

Thus begins the song “Don’t Abort Her, Sir” from the trendy new musical penned by GOP lobbyist turned lyricist, Vernon White. This hip-hop drama, hot off the wheels of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, recounts the story of important pro-life legislation in the United States, from Roe v. Wade to today. In an exclusive interview with the Dealer, White revealed how the idea was conceived:

“On Fox News Sunday, I saw that some hip hop musical thing was getting the young people interested in American History, so I thought to myself, hey, why can’t I do the same thing to get today’s boys and girls interested in pro-life ideology?”

The musical follows the story of young, hot-blooded American men Rick Scott, Scott Walker, and Mike Pence as they work their way up from being young, somewhat less powerful white men, to becoming older, richer, much more powerful white men, using their influence to “protect the lives of women and children” along the way.

An online preview includes the lyrics from several numbers, including this fast paced rap from early in the musical designed to succinctly explain the protagonists’ ideologies:

“You, me, and Mr. Rick Scott / We had a thought to tell women to do what they ought / They can’t throw away their shot / It might be the size of a blood clot / but it could develop into an astronaut!”

Other tracks are more charged with determinationurgency, as the heroes try to force the closuree of abortion clinics across the country:

“We’re all gunned / All Men/ We need to get Parenthood De-Planned! / We need to stop these one night stands / Ayo, I’m trying to make a right-winged land!”

Despite the bravado these songs display, there are alsosome more impassionedntimate and sympathetic scenes. One such songcene has an emotionally packed ballad assuring listeners that these laws are just trying to protect women.

“I don’t pretend to know/the challenges you’re facing/ the male privileges you keep creating and erasing in your mind/Stop throwing shade /I know I’m protecting you/If only the hallways were wide enough/that could be enough.”

Although some have accused White of plagiarism, as most of the songs have the same rhythms and melodies as songs from Hamilton, but with poorly chosen lyrics, the author remains un-phased. “It is not a complete rip off,” White assured CNN reporters. “Instead of telling the story of old white men through using actors of color, we’re sticking with old white men!.”

When asked if he thought Hamilton’s popularity and significance had anything to do with how it reclaims history for some who do not necessarily think of it as their own, White replied, “Uhh, no. It’s probably just this weird music.”