The Compton/ Long Beach, Californian rapper returns with a potent, punchy, overtly political rock-hip hop seventh LP that heavily critiques American society and power, racism, police violence, gun culture, media and the music industry, largely accompanied by a tight, riff-heavy electric guitars, bass and drums. Sharp and direct, and rich in reference and wordplay throughout, it opens with Blackberry Marmalade, pulling no punk-ish punches in cross-referencing many of these issues in one song, the video shown from the point of view of trigger-happy gunman as Staples pleads for calm in a tinderbox culture of tension and violence: “Blackberry marmalade and sweet tea / Beats the summer blaze, they say / Honesty the best policy, okay/ Promise me you won't gun me down…” Bu that is before the gunman massacres him and other Black customers and staff in a diner. The slower, no less powerful White Flag sees Staples painting white over the US flag (a symbol regularly referenced through the album) with: “White flag, I don’t wanna fight no more … Hip-hop taught me all y'all love Black folks, but it's not enough / Chicken feet in the yard, .223's and ARs, but it's not enough.”
Only In America thrums with deep bass line, and caustically highlights worrying trends about falling literacy rates: “America the beautiful, I'd like to take a look at you / It's hard to see past the stars from behind the bars, know they love to throw the book at you / We barely can read, plus speech not necessarily free / Black folks always embarrassing me, with that face down, ass up, hands on your knees.” TV Guide takes aim at the pervasive, dumming down effect of screen culture: “Woke up, turned on the TV, went to sleep watchin' TV / Breakin' news on the TV, must be true, it's on TV / Pacified by the TV, glued my eyes to the TV / Execution and mind pollution, live on the TV.”
The catchy, toe-tapping Cotton, has a video beginning with footage of the Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma, and is unambiguous in its message, but is as much a celebration of Black music, filled also with clips of gospel churches and other scenes: “But, drop the needle, turn up that volume / Record spinnin', it's so hypnotic / Music makes me feel just like cotton / Pick me up when I feel like falling down.” It’s a powerful, direct, articulate album - passionate, tragic, angry and sad, and one of his best yet. Out on Loma Vista Recordings.
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