--- title: Ben Carson: Rap Advertisement 'Horrified' Him description: "It was done by people who have no concept of the black community." canonical: https://time.com/4191428/ben-carson-rap-advertisement-radio/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-23T03:14:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:46:40.602Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ben Carson 'Horrified' By His Own Campaign Ad og:description: He blamed former campaign staffers. og:url: https://time.com/4191428/ben-carson-rap-advertisement-radio/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bb4b85c45003cd9/69887a510b72e31d366e7c93/ben-carson2.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks during his "Trust in God Townhall" campaign stop January 22, 2016 in Creston, Iowa. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ben Carson 'Horrified' By His Own Campaign Ad twitter:description: He blamed former campaign staffers. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bb4b85c45003cd9/69887a510b72e31d366e7c93/ben-carson2.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ben Carson 'Horrified' By His Own Campaign Ad > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jan 23, 2016 3:14 AM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks during his "Trust in God Townhall" campaign stop January 22, 2016 in Creston, Iowa. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks during his "Trust in God Townhall" campaign stop January 22, 2016 in Creston, Iowa.Joshua Lott—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jan 23, 2016 3:14 AM UTC _This article has been enhanced with interactive sound clips. To hear the radio commercial, click the phrase highlighted in red._ Ben Carson blamed his staff for the notorious [rap radio advertisement](http://time.com/4101377/ben-carson-rap-radio-ad/) that was released last year, saying he was “horrified” by the ad and that his campaign is much better run since a staff shakeup around New Year’s. “I did not approve that, and when it came out I said, why did you put that out? What are you thinking?” Carson told a crowd at Drake University, in Des Moines, Iowa, gathered for BET’s #AllVotesMatter Twitter Town Hall. “I was horrified.” Called “Freedom,” soundFile=https://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/aspiring-mogul-60-second-ad-2-disclaimer-2.mp3| startPosition=0| endPosition=58000| content=the 60 second rap by the rapper Aspiring Mogul contains bits of Carson speaking throughout. “I’m very hopeful that I’m not the only one that’s willing to pick up the baton to freedom,” Carson says in the advertisement as a hip-hop beat blares and a rapper, Aspiring Mogul, says “Vote, Vote!” Carson told the crowd that the advertisement was released without his knowledge. “It was done by people who have no concept of the black community and what they were doing,” Carson told the audience at Drake University. When asked why he didn’t stop the advertisement, Carson said, “I should have but they stuck it out without me knowing.” But in the advertisement, Carson’s voice clearly cuts in saying, “I’m Ben Carson, and I approve this message.” When a reporter later pointed out to Carson that he says he approved the advertisement, Carson answered, “Well, obviously. But you notice no more of those kind of ads coming out now.” The former neurosurgeon’s [campaign staff has seen a major shakeup](http://time.com/4165079/ben-carson-campaign-manager-interview/), with top aides leaving at the end of December to be replaced by a team that Carson says he is much happier with. The former manager of Carson’s campaign, Barry Bennett is [now advising Donald Trump](http://time.com/4190508/ben-carson-barry-bennett-donald-trump/). Carson said Bennett’s decision “shows you where his heart is.” Carson rose quickly in polls late last year, riding a tide of anti-Establishment sentiment, only to drop dramatically into the middle of the pack. Lately, however, [Carson’s campaign has seen some new life](http://time.com/4191116/ben-carson-campaign-meltdown-mother/): a new poll shows him in third place in Iowa. Aides to Carson say that his campaign is better-run after the turnover. Carson said he may not be connecting with young black voters because he does not do things that some think are cool. “I don’t go around to discos, I don’t do a lot of things that people think are cool,” Carson said to laughs. When asked by a reporter whether he would endorse Trump if forced to drop out, Carson demurred “There are too many people who have invested too much time energy and money, I’m not even thinking about that,” Carson said. “I’m not a quitter. As long as I have people who are believing in me and supporting me, I’m not going to quit on them.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4191428/ben-carson-rap-advertisement-radio/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4191428/ben-carson-rap-advertisement-radio/"},"headline":"Ben Carson 'Horrified' By His Own Campaign Ad","datePublished":"2016-01-23T03:14:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:46:40.602Z","description":"'It was done by people who have no concept of the black community'","url":"https://time.com/4191428/ben-carson-rap-advertisement-radio/","keywords":["2016 Election","Dr. Benjamin S. 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