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Virginia Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA) holds a town hall meeting with Northern Virginia women about the economy and other issues of importance to women at the Washington Dulles Marriott Airport on October 16, 2012, in Dulles, Virginia. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Ka(i)ne is in the building

Hillary Clinton’s vice president pick has an unintentionally built-in hip-hop connection

Clinton Yates @clintonyates

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    3:30 PMWhen the Hillary Clinton campaign announced that Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine would be her running mate on the Democratic ticket in the 2016 presidential race, you couldn’t help but think of Daniel Johnson. Better known by his stage name Kane Beatz, his popular producer drop “Kane is in the building” has adorned various hits in the past.

    Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj’s “Bottoms Up” (triple platinum) and Lupe Fiasco’s “The Show Goes On” (also, triple platinum) are just a couple that you might be familiar with and maybe didn’t even know it. The line is particularly funny because it’s not the sultry voice of a woman a la “Mike Will Made It” or “Maybach Music,” nor is it the innocent voice of a child like say, “Cooking Soul” or “Zaytoven.”

    ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 01: Rap artist Kane Beatz attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2011 at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on October 1, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/WireImage)

    The voice on Beatz’s drop is so cartoonishly robotic that it almost feels like something suited for a politician. And though Beatz, who’s from Orlando, and Kaine, who was born in Minnesota, don’t have a whole lot in common on the surface, they do share a name that sounds the same. It’s time that whomever is in charge of productions for the Clinton campaign gets on that.

    If they’re looking for the perfect song for Kaine to hit that Philadelphia stage at the Democratic National Convention with, and make his debut on the ticket, look no further than Cash Money Records. “Right Above It” by Drake and Lil Wayne couldn’t possibly be more perfect for his entrance.

    We can make this happen, America. Yes, we can.

    Clinton Yates is a tastemaker at Andscape. He likes rap, rock, reggae, R&B and remixes — in that order.