Student Life | Issue 40

LINKIN PARK – HIT THE FLOOR:
This song is about the lies people
tend to spread and people tend to
blindly believe them. This could be
a message to all the biased news
reports stating that officers have
never hurt innocent protestors – but
we see innocent protestors and black
people being hurt by officers in social
media every 5 seconds. I also like the
roaring chorus which encourages
people to stand up.
DAVE – BLACK:
A song fully dedicated to racism,
and talks about Santan’s struggles
with his race and defends it. It also
has a sad piano instrumental which
is something Dave tends to hop on
when he discusses serious topics. The
instrumental and the storytelling help
reflect the damage racism has caused
to others. It’s not just the US that
should consider this song however,
but also the UK since they’ve been
involved in the protests lately.
JOEY BADA$$ - TEMPTATION:
The intro is a 9 year old giving
a speech which sets the scene
about how it’s unnecessary to treat
someone differently because of their
race. The instrumental is quite bright
and jazzy, and I could see people
coming together and singing the
chorus of the song; spreading its
message in an uplifting and lighthearted
way.
KANYE WEST – NEW SLAVES:
The first verse of this song refers to
his mother’s difficult background,
and talks about the times when
people prevented him from buying
anything from the store because
of his race. Now that he’s rich and
famous he’s now “portrayed” as
another “stereotypical” black man
who spends money on a “Bentley? Fur
coat? A diamond chain?”, so he can’t
really win. I also like the dark bass
and electronic plucks along the track.
The outro then becomes bright and
uplifting to showcase Kanye as a free
man, who will do anything to escape
this reality – oh, and we also get a
guest appearance from Frank Ocean.
MEEK MILL – OTHERSIDE OF
AMERICA:
The intro is part Trump’s latest
controversial speech to set the scene,
and then Meek Mill discusses his
issues and harsh background on top
of this aggressive mainstream trap
instrumental. This track is good for
motivation to keep fighting for rights
and is a great message Meek Mill is
spreading and tells a personal story
of a black man and their struggles.
This theme continues at the end, with
part of a 2018 CNN interview included
in the song.
9 • 9 • MARCH ISSUE 2019 40 •• STUDENT LIFE LIFE