Bernie Sanders knows how to make an entrance. The Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate is making a huge play in California, where he has invested nearly all of his campaign resources in a series of enormous rallies. Polling results currently show Sanders and Hillary Clinton locked in a virtual tie ahead of the state’s June 7 primary. If the Bern can manage to pocket California, this would provide some basis to contest Clinton’s almost certain nomination. He also apparently plans on debating Donald Trump in what is sure to be an epic spectacle that would could surpass the grandiosity of a solo Trump rally.
To further gather the troops, Sanders held a Thursday night rally in Lancaster. His fiery speech — which argued for legalization of marijuana and against low Disneyland wages in the face of enormous corporate profits — drew plenty of attention. Yet nothing is making headlines like Sanders’ entrance song, DMX’s “Where the Hood At?” And make no mistake, rally music is a highly planned endeavor. To that end, the Sanders campaign entrusts Mel Sandico (a.k.a. DJ Mel), who’s “notoriously known as Obama’s DJ” according to his own website. DJ Mel has taken Sanders’ campaign beyond the usual “Theme from Rocky” default mode that candidates (including Trump) tend to favor.
Here’s the moment where Sanders entered his rally. The crowd seemed thoroughly energized by the music selection and the man himself.
The song provided momentum for an hour-long rally, and here’s the full video presentation.