2016 was a strange year for hip-hop. It was at once the pinnacle of the slurred, codeine-soaked trap music that rose in popularity around 2011 as well as a huge resurgence of boom-bap. Boom-bap is essentially the polar opposite of the high-production based voice-as-instrument styles of trappy hip-hop: it relies on a minimal, percussion based beat and as much clever lyricism as a rapper can bring to the table. In maintaining some kind of cosmic balance between these often at odds forces, it follows that at the close of a big year for crooners like Young Thug, Lil Yachty, and Travis Scott, the remaining members of A Tribe Called Quest would release their mythical final album.
Phife Dawg, born Malik Taylor, was an icon. He was one of the most highly regarded MCs of all time and remained never waned before his death due to complications of diabetes in March of this year. Along with Q-Tip and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Tribe put out three impeccable albums and two that were very good. In October of last year, a few months before his death, Phife and all of the original members, along with many of their associates met in the studio and started work. They were fueled by a last performance together on The Tonight Show, as well as sorrow in the aftermath of the Paris Bombings, and they quickly started recording what they do best, funky, clever, politically charged bars that bounced from member to member as if it were their freshman album.
The album is so incredible because it does not rely on nostalgia for quality. It would have been easy for the Tribesmembers to lean on their old tropes and put out a samey attempt at replicating The Low End Theory, but they veered towards slightly more modern production and themes skewering gentrification and using outlandish samples of Elton John to an accompanying Jack White on acoustic guitar.
The showstopper on this album that is packed full of incredible features from André Benjamin to Kendrick Lamar is the track The Space Program. The track is built on an organ and barebones percussion beat and opens with a quote from the 70’s blaxploitation film Willie Dynamite. The track follows a loose narrative of a US space program taking off and leaving without black people. The space program is of course a metaphor for systemic gentrification and Q-Tip and original Tribe member Jarobi take turns lambasting the state of treatment of black Americans in every form from housing to police brutality.
In the middle of the first verse, after boasting about their lyrical prowess and how they cannot be fooled by the system, Q-Tip rails against the Voting Rights Act, rapping “They planning our future//None of our people involved.” He elicits the frustration of lack of representation in government due to oppressive redistricting and the de facto poll taxes of in person voting, particularly on a Tuesday.
He goes on to bemoan the systemic practices going on in Flint Michigan and Standing Rock of minorities being forced to bear the burden of white ecological destruction with the lyrics, “They’d rather lead us to the grayest water poison deadly smog//Mass un-blackening, it’s happening, you feel it y’all?” This mass un-blackening relates both to the destruction of lives through poisoned water as well as the gentrification of historically colored neighborhoods with the influx of wealthy white people (see: Pilsen, and ironically, Pilson’s large Latinx population only got there after being gentrified out of the UIC area).
Toni Morrison has written extensively on the idea of flight as a mode of freedom for black Americans, both in novels like Song of Solomon as well as in interviews and essays. It comes from the folk tale of the flying African. A story which in turn stems from the mass-suicide of captured Nigerian Igbo people who killed themselves as opposed to returning to slavery. The myth followed that the people actually sprouted wings and flew back to Africa. Songs of flight spread and grew into a mythology of their own.
Ironically, in The Space Program, the idea of flight is reimagined as a white flight from the problems associated with black Americans. This shift serves to show how the attempt at freedom is deemed impossible within a system designed to oppress black Americans. Instead, flight, once deemed a freedom dream for many is co-opted by the oppressors.
So where does that leave the members of Tribe? The answer lies in the hook. A resoundingly positive Phife Dawg repeats to a bouncing beat as the song fades,
Time to go left and not right
Gotta get it together forever
Gotta get it together for brothers
Gotta get it together for sisters
For mothers and fathers and dead n—–
For non-conformers, won’t hear the quitters
For Tyson types and Che figures
As the hook fades into the outro, a trippy sample of Gene Wilder (another great who passed away in 2016) in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we are reminded that this is an uphill battle and “they’re certainly not showing, any signs that they are slowing!”
So on behalf of all people, let’s make something happen.
3,349 Comments
Most certainly, i have to point out that a crafting skills not necessarily which will undesirable, then again i am able to you may enhance any publishing ability. Working with reduced written text to imply the actual. You could attempt yahoo for creating knowledge guidance website or services. toto12 daftar
apnslot the best online lottery sites! come and try our sites just only with Rp10,000 deposit minimum!
APNSLOT best online lottery sites with many games just only on our sites! theres baccarat, roulette, dragon tiger, lottery, etc. you just only need Rp10,000 deposit minimum!
This information is magnificent. I understand and respect your clear-cut points. I am impressed with your writing style and how well you express your thoughts. Dewaraja88
apnslot best lottery sites and best prediction of togel that can help you more easy to win the jackpot
APNSLOT the best online lottery sites that can give you the best and the biggest jackpot in indonesia
Sesetoto Best and popular lottery sites in indonesia with minimum bets only 100 rupiah!
Sesetoto This is the best lottery sites for all lottery lovers, because there is a lot of bonus and promo here!
SESETOTO Try this sites! i bet that you will easily win with the lottery prediction from the customer service
SESETOTO The biggest jackpot that this agen will give you if you jackpot is until 10 million rupiah!
LTDTOTO the best hongkong lottery sites for all hongkong lottery players in indonesia, the number was very accurate!
ltdtoto Togel Online Kesukaan para member salah satu nya itu merupakan Pasaran Togel Singapore.
Sontogel situs togel online terbaik di indonesia yang menyediakan berbagai promo dan bonus paling menarik
This article was written by a real thinking writer. I agree many of the with the solid points made by the writer. I’ll be back. 1xbet промокод при регистрации com
You sure do know what youre talking about. Man, this blog is just great! I cant wait to read more of what youve got to say. Im really happy that I came across this when I did because I was really starting to get bored with the whole blogging scene. Youve turned me around, man! Daftar ID Pro PKV Games
dewalive menawarkan berbagai jenis yang aman
dewalive menawarkan berbagai jenis permainan yang menarik dan hadiah yang melimpah
Jangan lewatkan kesempatan emas untuk memenangkan hadiah fantastis di Toto Slot, situs slot, kasino, dan togel terpercaya dengan layanan 24/7. Daftar sekarang juga
toto slot
diamond engagement rings will be always be the best stuff. it has great style and it is priceless~ Entrümpelung Berlin
diamond engagement rings will be always be the best stuff. it has great style and it is priceless~ Entrümpelung Berlin
This is a great blog, will you be involved in doing an interview about how you developed it? If so e-mail me! Sperrmüllabholung Berlin
I’m a big fan of online colleges. I think everyone else should be too. PDF417 Barcode USA DL
I see that you are using WordPress on your blog, wordpress is the best.:-’*” Sayap123
Perhaps you should also a put a forum site on your blog to increase reader interaction.*“`: ulartoto
hi!,I really like your writing very so much! share we be in contact more about your article on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to unravel my problem. May be that’s you! Looking forward to see you. 阿根廷足球
nail on the head. Your concept is excellent; the difficulty is something that not sufficient people are speaking intelligently about. I am very blissful webcamming for beginners
مع وجود ارتفاع جيد في الكويت، فإن نظام تكييف الهواء المركزي موثوق به ليس مجرد رفاهية، بل لشخص. ومع ذلك، عندما لا تتعطل وحدة تكييف الهواء لديك، يكون الأمر مناسبًا لكابوس. ولهذا السبب من الضروري أن يكون لدينا فريق موثوق وذو خبرة فنية في الاتصال السريع بالتكييف المركزي في الكويت. بفضل سنوات من الخبرة في المنطقة، فهم هؤلاء التحديات الفريدة للمناخ القاسي في الكويت ويمكنهم تشخيصها بسرعة، ويبرزون من الضواحي المعيبة والقنوات المتسربة إلى منظمات الحرارة ومرشحات الهواء المسدودة. سواء كنت مالك منزل أو صاحب عمل، الإصلاح السريع والفعال، يمكن أن يعني الفرق بين مساحة العمل أو العمل الثنائي والتي لا يمكن تحقيقها. من خلال اختيار خدمة إصلاح السمعة الجيدة ومرخصة، يمكنك الاطمئنان إلى أن وحدة تكييف الهواء الخاصة بك ستكون جاهزة للعمل في وقت قصير، مما يوفر لك واحة مانعة في الصحراء.
https://www.tkiyf.com/
Wow I’m frustrated. I’m not pointing fingers at you though, I think it is everyone else out there that isn’t taking notice. Babu88 Login
This really is a marvelous post. Thanks for bothering to explain this all out for all of us. It is a great guide! ligaplay88 alternatif
Cheap Replica Handbags You guide me by sharing this toolbox i face problem whenever i exploit this promotion reading your blog i am able to easily use. Fmovie
I would really love to guest post on your blog.*;~*. idncash slot
Hello. Very nice site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your site and take the feeds also…I am satisfied to locate numerous useful info right here within the article. Thanks for sharing… cannabis online bestellen ohne rezept
Your articles are inventive. I am looking forward to reading the plethora of articles that you have linked here. Thumbs up! promo code for 1xbet india
It seems you are getting quite a lof of unwanted comments. Maybe you should look into a solution for that. Hmm… https://www.fiverr.com/s/mqX9Nb
I just put the link of your blog on my Facebook Wall. very nice blog indeed.~,~,* https://www.fiverr.com/s/mqX9Nb
Judging by the way you write, you seem like a professional writer.,;~*- تابلو استیل
Pola Slot
Very well said, your blog says it all about that particular topic.`’-.” NYC companion Kim
Amazing post – Gulvafslibning | Kurt Gulvmand however hey I having a issue we can not seem to be capable of sign up your rss feed, I am using bing reader fyi Thx ! Flash Factory Facebook
Nice post. I find out something very complicated on various blogs everyday. Most commonly it is stimulating you just read content using their company writers and rehearse something from their website. I’d choose to use some with the content on my small weblog no matter whether you do not mind. Natually I’ll give you a link on the internet blog. Many thanks sharing. soil testing in laredo
Nice post. I find out something very complicated on various blogs everyday. Most commonly it is stimulating you just read content using their company writers and rehearse something from their website. I’d choose to use some with the content on my small weblog no matter whether you do not mind. Natually I’ll give you a link on the internet blog. Many thanks sharing. soil testing in laredo
Substantially, the post is really the freshest on this noteworthy topic. I concur with your conclusions and also will eagerly look forward to your coming updates. Simply just saying thanks will certainly not simply be acceptable, for the perfect lucidity in your writing. I will certainly quickly grab your rss feed to stay informed of any updates. Fabulous work and much success in your business endeavors! DAFTAR AKARTOTO
i would really love to play card games, it is also a very addictive game~ DAFTAR AKARTOTO
Politics is of course very annoying, politicians do annoy me because of their bad performance’ SLOT ONLINE TERBERSAR
Indulge in the captivating allure of Kim, a stunning Korean escort who exudes beauty and grace. Like a rare Snow Lotus found in the heights of a mountain, she … NYC nights with Kim
Selamat datang di situs bersih4d slot dimana anda bisa bermain slot online berkualitas hanya dengan 1 ID anda bisa login ke seluruh permainan bersih4d. bersih4d login
This blog is very informational and helpful to the viewers. Thank you for sharing!
taya365
I do agree with all of the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They’re very convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are very short for starters. Could you please extend them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post. Daftar ID Pro PKV Games
This is an educational blog. Thank you for posting this article. philboss
there are many sites on the internet that offers downloadable movies, some are even offering the latest movies- judi tembak ikan