The Artist: Common
Common or Lonnie Rashid Lynn is an American rapper and actor was born in 1972 and first debuted in 1992. He received acclaim from many underground rappers. During his career as a rapper, he joined various hip-hop groups. Many albums released by the artist have been nominated for prestigious awards such as Grammy, and the rapper himself is an Academy Award laureate. In his texts, the theme of drugs, weapons, and police brutality is very clearly traced.
The Style/sound/tone
The rap of the artist Common is not rude, even though some of the lyrics contain profanity. The artist’s songs are inspiring and powerful. His rap is underground and can be said to be street, as many of the poems cover the theme of the streets and what is happening on them. The mood of the texts is very inspiring, not depressing the listeners. There is a severe tone of the performance because there are important topics such as negative attitudes towards blacks, inequality, and discrimination in his texts.
Black America Again
‘There we go, here, here we go again
Trayvon will never get to be an older man
Black children, they childhood
Stole from them
Robbed of our names and our language, stole again
Who stole the soul from black folk?
Same man who stole the land from Chief Black Smoke
And made the whip crackle along our back slow
And made us go through the back door
And raffle black bodies on the slave door
Now we slave to the blocks, on’em we spray shots
Leaving our own to lay in a box…’
This song’s lyrics show that Trayvon Martin, who was killed by the police, will no longer become an adult and that the entire justice system is dirty and unfair. In addition, the text says that a black person should be proud of who he is and from where he comes. In his text, he calls America Black America. The rhythm of this rap is quite fast, and the words are sharp and jerky. Probably, this artist wanted to show how strong the black people remain and inspire people to be proud of who they are.
Messages
- Police officers take the lives of black children who will no longer have a childhood, just as they took the life of Trayvon, who will no longer have an old age.
- Part of the plot of human life is killing each other.
- Government systems are unfair and dirty.
The lyrics of the song, although not very diverse, included all the acute and pressing problems of black people. A reflection of many of the issues highlighted by the performer Common can be found in the book, as it also very vividly depicts the lives of black people and the problems they face.
Connection 1
Khalil was still a young man but was untimely killed by a police officer. Now he, like many murdered black young men, will have no childhood, no future, nothing, and no one around. Starr is very sad about Khalil’s death because he was her best friend, and his death was absolutely in vain. Khalil’s mother, Brenda, is also in agony over her son’s death.
Connection 2
The Starr family home was attacked, and the attackers sought to kill the entire family. They are at home, and Star, watching the news about Khalil, realizes that everything is now her fault.
Connection 3
Everywhere it is said that Khalil himself is to blame for his death. In this case, the injustice is that the authorities are trying to protect their police officer. They try to do it dishonestly, exposing Khalil as a simple drug dealer and drug addict and the police officer as a real hero who does not deserve a prison sentence. A phrase from the rap song Common highlights the idea that the justice system is unfair and dirty.
Reference
Thomas, A. (2018). The hate u give. Collins publishers.