Jade Esteban Estrada
Jalen McKee-Rodriguez is running for a second term on San Antonio City Council.
The Nicki Minaj-endorsed District 2 councilman on Wednesday tweeted a clip of himself dressed in leather pants and rapping about the accomplishments and positive changes he's brought to his district during two years of service.
"Got extra funding for streets/If I'm winning, D2 'bout to eat," McKee-Rodriguez raps over a minimalist hip-hop track. "Need consistency in this seat/Our needs are large and they ain't cheap."If I had a verse on Princess Diana 🙈❤️🔥 A lil spicy a lil provocative!
— Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (@theloserteacher) April 19, 2023
“It’s true even Nicki endorsed 👸🏽” @NICKIMINAJ
Contribute to our People-Powered campaign at https://t.co/T5rzCbnro8 pic.twitter.com/S7iYtGNa6G
Wearing boxing gloves, District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, a frequent ally, also makes an appearance in the clip as McKee-Rodriguez raps that it's "me and the people's champ" while pointing at his colleague.
According to the lyrics, the District 2 City Councilman and former high school math teacher used to make parody songs to "enhance the lesson" for his students and "meet my kids where they were."
"It's a little spicy, a little provocative/It gets the people going," McKee-Rodriguez raps in the spot.
McKee-Rodriguez may need to "get the people going" if he hopes to hang onto his seat. Unlike districts in which some incumbents face one or two challengers, the East Side incumbent faces nine.
What's more, District 2 has council's highest turnover rate, with McKee-Rodriguez being the seventh District 2 representative since 2014.
Some of McKee-Rodriguez's challengers argue that he's out of touch, too progressive and too anti-police, according to an Express-News report on the competitive race.
A self-described Democratic Socialist, McKee-Rodriguez is among the most progressive members of council. He's also one of the few supporting the controversial San Antonio Justice Charter, or Proposition A, which would let voters decide whether to decriminalize marijuana and abortion and expand cite and release.
Even so, McKee-Rodriguez has fought back against claims he's out of touch, maintaining in an Express-News interview that his naysayers represent the East Side's old guard.
"I don't bend to the whim of any of the powers that be," McKee-Rodriguez told the paper. "And if there's something that's going to be a truly public good, that's how I vote."
Early voting for the citywide election begins Monday and runs through May 2.
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