As the election draws closer, pop culture is becoming more and more intertwined with events happening along the campaign trail. Which each new scandal and gaffe, artists have begun using their fame and music to advocate for candidates. These artists are beginning to immerse themselves into the political system in a number of ways, which is causing more and more millennials to get politically involved by registering to vote.
 
Most recently, Jay Z announced he is going to hold a concert in Ohio Nov. 4 in support of Hillary Clinton. With just four days before the election, Jay Z is hoping to target young voters, encouraging them to vote for Clinton.  
 
This was a major win for the Clinton campaign because gaining support from young voters is a key part of what she needs to beat Trump in several states, particularly Ohio. Millennials idolize Jay Z, as a role model and an inspiration. 

Millennials are less likely to vote than any other demographic, so by bringing politics into his music and his concert performance, Jay Z could potentially motivate young men and women to go out and vote. 
 
But Jay Z is certainly not the first artist to use fame as an advocacy tool.  
 
Eminem released a seven-minute track called “Campaign Speech” Oct. 19. The song is packed with several references to Donald Trump, dissing him and all his supporters. 
 
“Consider me a dangerous man, but you should be afraid of this dang candidate,” Eminem raps, “And that’s what you wanted? A f**kin’ loose cannon who’s blunt with his hand on the button.” He also takes a stab at Trump’s supporters with the line, “Run the faucet, Imma dunk a bunch of Trump supporters underwater.”  
 
Eminem hasn’t released new music in quite a while, so this track got a lot of attention. He expresses his opinion of Trump through his music, protesting against the “loose cannon, who doesn’t have to answer to no one.” Eminem is using his music to directly address the political side of his fans. 
 
Miley Cyrus is also using her popularity and fame to show her support for candidate Hillary Clinton. On Oct. 22, Cyrus went campaigning for Clinton at George Mason University in Virginia to help target the youth. She spent her time knocking on dorm room doors, while pleading for students to vote when November rolls around. Cyrus also consistently uses her Instagram account to support Clinton. 
 
Adele endorsed Clinton during her concert in Miami on Oct. 25. Clinton made a surprise appearance, and Adele took time in between songs to express her support for the candidate.  
 
All of these artists, from diverse backgrounds and different genres, are using their music, fame and influence to support a political candidate. They are addressing their fans directly by asking them to go out and vote.  
 
The overlap of music and politics is having a huge effect on the election because millenials are becoming more involved.

According to The Huffington Post, Rock the Vote has registered more than 1.5 million new voters through its online voter registration platform. Over 100,000 of those voters registered in the last week. An additional study with USA TODAY shows that 83 percent of millennials across the country are now registered. This exemplifies how much power these artists have, not only on the music side but also on the political side. 

Millennials who are not normally inclined to vote may actually start going out and doing so. These famous artists have the ability to reach people that the political candidates don’t, and it’s changing the American system of democracy. 

Phoebe Smith is a junior public relations major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email her at phsmith@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @phoebesmithh5.