“The Proud,” Talib Kweli
One might say Talib Kweli’s purpose in Hip-Hop is to awaken the sleeping mind. His level of commitment to using his platform to elevate and inform has helped him craft his own memoir, “Vibrate Higher.” But before he became an author, his has given the world almost 20 albums to push forth artistry and activism.
With his song, “The Proud” the Brooklyn lyrical miracle has essentially made an ode to the resilience of Black life in America.
Lyrics like “We survive, it’s more than pride. We stay alive, ready to ride,” celebrate how people of color plow through to racial adversity.
Kweli calls direct attention to the double standard approach to justice in America.
“August 4, 2001 … A drunken police officer mows down an entire family in Brooklyn
The judge lets him go with no bail … It reminds us, of just how worthless our lives are to the justice system.”
This song is filled with powerful images but perhaps the most profound is when Kweli champions niggas with knowledge over niggas with guns. Then he calls out the selective policing initiatives of Prop 21.
“I already know the deal but what the f*** do I tell my son?” A looming question for all Black parents.
“N****z with knowledge is more dangerous than than n****z with guns … They make the guns easy to get and try to keep n****z dumb … Target the gangs and graffiti with the Prop 21 … I already know the deal but what the f*** do I tell my son?
I want him livin right, livin good, respect the rules … He’s five years old and he still thinkin cops is cool … How do I break the news that when he gets some size … He’ll be perceived as a threat or see the fear in they eyes … It’s in they job description to terminate the threat … So 41 shots to the body is what he can expect … The precedent is set, don’t matter if he follow the law … I know I’ll give my son pride and make him swallow it all (damn!)”