Diamonds are Forever

"Little is known about Sierra Leone and how it connects to the diamonds we own" -Kanye West

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgqd80026xU

I'm posting Kanye's "Diamonds From Sierra Leone." I think this music video is an interesting addition to our discussion of hip-hop/rap and political consciousness. Kanye doesn't raise consciousness about the problems in the United States, gangs, racial discrimination, etc., but highlights a world issue. It's interesting that the video is shot in Prague (Sierra Leone??) - what does this do to the feeling of place in the music video? It also has imagery used purely for shock value. While I support Kanye for trying to raise global consciousness, I don't see people curbing their use of diamonds (especially in engagement rings) after watching this video...
While most recent rap music videos fall into a category criticized of most of the essayists in the book (Mumia Abu-Jamal calls this rap "corporationism that transforms rap's grittiness into the gutter of materialism - a woman, a living being, reminds a man of a thing, a car" (23)), how does "politically conscious" contemporary rap, or even rock, affect American's understanding of national and world issues? Even in the case of the "Rock the Vote" campaign - do you all think that campaign worked (or has worked in the past), or did younger Americans just need an inspirational candidate before they would show up to the polls?