“Wanna hit this booty, gotta do your civic duty.”
BY AIYANA ISHMAEL at Teen Vogue
Rappers Saucy Santana and Trina have teamed up with dating app BLK to give us a sexy, musical push to the polls. As Midterm elections roll around, the Florida rappers are letting you know that if your prospective partner isn’t voting, they don’t deserve no loving.
BLK is a match dating app geared towards single Black folks. Historically, Black Americans have faced major disparities and inequalities in accessing the right to vote. In the last few years we’ve seen tremendously how important Black voters are. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Black Americans eligible to vote for president reached a record 30 million in 2020, with more than one-third living in 9 of the nation’s most competitive states — Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — a higher share than the 29% of all eligible U.S. voters who live in these states.
So yeah, getting out the vote for Black Americans is an pretty big deal, especially for swing states like Florida. Enter: the latest initiative from BLK with Saucy Santana and Trina. The campaign combines the perfect mix of education and fun, and the Internet is already calling out their favorite lines from the catchy song.
“I’m honored to use my platform to empower young people because not voting is definitely a red flag in a relationship. Period," Santana said in a statement about the song. “Now, more than ever, we have to use our voices to stand up for what we believe in. Voting is sexy. Being informed is sexy.”
In line with their voting advocacy, BLK recently launched an in-app Election Center, created in partnership with When We All Vote, Michelle Obama’s national initiative to increase voter registration throughout the United States. In a press release announcing the Election Center's launch, the BLK team stated they hope the in-app hub will “shift the culture of voting and politics in the Black community, amplify voices of Black voters and drive Black voter registration.”
“Democracy can often feel out of reach and out of touch, but we know it doesn’t have to be that way. With BLK’s new Election Center, we are bringing the fight for our democracy and real change in our communities to Black voters in a way that is empowering and engaging,” Stephanie L. Young, the Executive Director of When We All Vote, said in a press release. “Together, we will change the culture around voting and ensure our communities’ voices are heard in the midterm elections and beyond.”
Meeting voters where they’re at is key, especially with so many first-time voters showing up to the polls this year. Giving people something to be excited about and even collaborating with the Internet’s favorite artists is a surefire way to help people feel more engaged — and entertained. IDK about you, but we'll be singing ‘no voting, no loving’ all the way to the polls. Watch the full video for “No Voting, No Vucking” below: