I remember being that kid with tapes, listening to Paris’ The Devil Made Me Do It and Sleeping with the Enemy, Ice-T’s The Iceberg, Public Enemy speaking on so much, NWA rapping about the cops, and when it came time for me to buckle down and get to work on BLKTCHP3, a lot of that kid came back out, wrestling with the world-weary optimist who wants to believe and keeps catching reminders of how broken this world is. Consider BLKTCHP3 my inner child/optimist and my current self/pragmatist fighting it out, the youthful idealism fueling the words of someone easily embittered by a world sabotaged by those in positions of power.
This is fight music, be it about the flag, the Second Amendment, the police, the things that continually lurk around each corner to slam us back into our place, be it meekness or a coffin. The album closes with what I feel is the most powerful song, one which is about arguably the world’s most powerful person. A warning to your car speakers, watch out for the bass on “Give Us Today.”
I believe in people, but find myself between atheism and agnosticism when it comes to systems. Don’t give up, I say that to myself just as much as to any of you.
BLKTCHP3 is now in preorder mode (CDs and digital) and will be released on 9/15. There is a Bandcamp listening party at 9PM EST, which will play the album one time through. The lead single, “Thin Blue Noose,” is now available on all streaming platforms.
Have a dope day,
Sankofa