On the Black Panthers

And what better place to start than Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift claims to know what a sick beat is.

Indeed she implores: "Just think while you've been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats in the world

You could have been getting down to this sick beat."

Calling a beat sick does not make it so.

Meanwhile Clipping released a psychedelic tribute to the Black Panthers called Blood of the Fang. Blood of the fang reads like T.S. Eliot meets The Coup. The song explores the genesis, bravery and subsequent repression of the Black Panthers. Overlaying this depth of history and depth of feeling is a morbid theme of blood. On the face the blood theme is tied to Vampirism, but I hear the warrior's celebration of death. The theme of liberation and the theme of death in the same breath make the song fascinating. Clipping's rapid fire delivery of the lyrics is on par with the top technical rappers like Eminem or Ghostface Killah.

And it is all delivered over a sick beat.

Blood of The Fang, just like This is America and Redbone, bury key terms in a stew of words. On first glance, and based on the emphasis provided on key phrases in the song, it appears to be a celebration of revolutionary activism. On review we hear the morbid obsession with death. Is it a veneration of the brave heroes of the black panthers or a recognition that violence is both necessary and futile. A call to violence with no hope of victory?

Now what that tell you bout death?

Death ain't shit

Real life is a study in contrasts between bravery, cowardice, cruelty and self-deception. The blood of the fang captures these layers and presents them as strands in a larger story. The end of every stanza includes a quote from a noted black liberation hero and a contrasting description of present day America. Clipping delivers these lines at conversational pace and with the utmost clarity. It is these lines that we should be left with.

Queen Angela done told y'all, "grasp at the root"

So what y'all talkin' 'bout, "Hands up, don't shoot"

Brother Malcolm done told y'all, "By any means"

So what y'all talkin' 'bout, "All on the same team?"

Prince Stokely done told y'all, "have no fear"

So how come every time they be like "Gyah, gyah, gyah"

Y'all look scared

If Clipping is your introduction to the Black Panthers, a recent TEDx talk might help you get a more practical understanding. Dr. Curtis Austin is an Associate Professor in the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) at the Ohio State University. Dr. Austin wrote Up Against the Wall: Violence in the Making and Unmaking of the Black Panther Party.

Without giving away his story I can tell you the Dr. Austin outlines the contours of the Black Panthers and proposes that -

a: Black Panthers were not "racists against Whites"

b: Many contemporary news reports were influenced by the FBI. The FBI destroyed the black panthers and murdered some of its leaders.

As we begin Black History Month lets consider that Black Liberation is a fulfillment of the American Creed. Equality of Opportunity means a leveling up of the physical material conditions of American citizens: Medicine, Education, Housing. Further the rights and liberties that are sometimes called "white privilege" need to be extended to all Americans. It is a darkness outside of our making, a legacy, that holds back the fulfillment of America's promise. A first step towards that fulfillment is recognizing that Black History is America's history. Black history is OUR history not THEIR history.

And here we are.