Joe Rogan is pushing a conspiracy theory that “rap has fallen off the charts,” because “USAID got defunded.” Rogan was speaking with his podcast’s ‘Protect Our Parks’ lineup with Shane Gillis, Mark Normand, and Ari Shaffir when he made the claim. “USAID, the Agency for International Development, is well known to have been funding a bunch of radical anti-government rappers overseas,” he said. “Funding a ton of them. It was basically all about regime change. That was a big part of what USAID was about. And the thought is that USAID had some — look, [Trump admin speechwriter and frequent Rogan guest] Mike Benz, he has a famous quote that USAID was there for things that were too dirty for the CIA.”
USAID’s Actual Activities
This is not true, though if you squint you can find a kernel of truth. In 2009, USAID did work with a government contractor called Creative Alliance Institute to support Aldo, an anti-Castro rapper in Cuba. After multiple arrests, he eventually relocated to Tampa, Florida. That is the only publicly-known anti-regime rapper supported by this program, though USAID also funded the Tulonge Afya program in Tanzania, where students were encouraged to make music about AIDS and other public health issues.
USAID’s Budget Cut
USAID, which mostly provides food and medicine to desperate people overseas, was the most conspicuous cut by Elon Musk’s DOGE program in 2025. The $23 billion agency had its budget reduced by over 80%, leading, by some estimates, to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths.
Impact on the Music Industry
There is no evidence that USAID has ever supported domestic citizens in the United States, let alone rappers. Billboard changed its rules last year to deprioritize YouTube streams, which has disproportionately impacted hip-hop compared to other genres.
In conclusion, Joe Rogan’s conspiracy theory about USAID and the decline of rap music is unfounded and lacks evidence. The actual activities of USAID and the impact of its budget cut on the music industry are more complex and nuanced. While USAID has supported some music programs overseas, there is no connection between the agency and the decline of rap music in the United States.
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