MURDER TO EXCELLENCE
For those of you who don't know, The Throne is a collaborative hip-hop duo which consists of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Although they had been making music together years in the past it was only until 2011 they decided to team up and create what would be one of the most renowned albums of the year. One of the tracks which inspired this post was one called 'Murder to Excellence' which dwells on the highs and lows of African-Americans.
The song's title has a double meaning: The phrase 'Murder to Excellence' can be described as a transition from the evil of murder to benefits of success and it can also be used as a metaphor for people 'killing' their own successes. The song and whole album are centred around America's corporations and capitalism and how racism and materialism are murdering blacks. The first part of the song is the 'murder'.
This part of the song is about the frequent black-on-black violence that occurs in America. These murders are often rooted to gang association and other problems of living in deprived areas. Jay-Z, Kanye and I'm pretty sure everyone else will agree that black-on-black violence is not the way. Being black in America and for a fact anywhere else can be proven to be quite a struggle especially with the recurring stereotypes of us being violent, loud, materialistic and obnoxious. Instead of African-Americans and other blacks all over the world supporting each other, we have allowed material things, money, government, society and our current situations to box us in and turn us against each other. It such a shame that people like Malcolm X have died trying to make a name for blacks however in today's world we undo all their work when we kill each other. Why should people like Malcolm X and Martin L. King have wasted their energy trying to defend us when we're progressing backwards in society and not trying to make a better perception of blacks. If you ask most people the first things they associate with 'black' are the things mentioned before such as crime, notoriety and so on. One of the reasons I feel black-on-black crime became frequent is because young blacks in particular have been deceived for years about what power is. The roots of many of these things can go as far as slavery. Most of the black-on-black crime happens in the deprived suburbs in America and even here in the UK. Money has become a necessity to live and therefore a symbol of power, meaning people will do what they have to do to get it even if that means killing your own people. It is a dangerous illusion and more people, especially the blacks need to realise power is the ability to control people or things. Power is self-control! The truth is we are stronger together than when we divide ourselves according to where we are from, money and race but unfortunately there are too many big egos which blind people to this truth. The murders in the city of Chicago which have mostly been blacks are more than those that are killed in Iraq. Am I the only one that find these statistics appalling? The social-economic situation of most African-Americans in America has also lead to the fact that black people only live an average of twenty-one years before death. Let's hope all of us get to celebrate our post-demise. One of the phrases from this part of the songs from Jay-Z goes: 'If you put crabs in the barrel to ensure your survival you gon' end up pulling down n****s that look just like you'. This particular phrase has a significant meaning; Blacks (crabs) being placed in the projects (barrel) causes us to turn against each other trying to get out. The second part of Murder to Excellence is now the excellence which is seen throughout the black community and how we need more of it.
In this part of the song The Throne go on to praise what is known as Black Excellence. Despite all the negativity surrounding African-Americans there has been successes. It is impossible to forget one of the most powerful men in the world is the president of the United States - Barack Obama and its already known that he is black. Ben Carson was the first black neurosurgeon coming from a deprived background. These people should serve as a reminder not to let your skin colour bar you from reaching your goals. Black people doing well is actually something common however the media showing all the violence over shadows this. There are many black people in the U.S and U.K that have made something of themselves. Examples of this can be musicians and actors: Ashley Walters, Jme, Malcolm Kamulete, John Boyega and the list goes on. The only thing we need now is some Black Excellence to over take the murder. Excellence is something that I believe comes in all shapes, colours and ages but if we had more of it, the world would be a better place. Not just for blacks but for everyone.
Well done Ayo. This is a great piece of writing. Your passion for both Jay-Z and Kanye’s music, as well as the issue you write about is clear and engages the reader. Your writing is articulate, lucid and well informed. The link you posted was very interesting and supported the article well.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear that despite Obama’s election and reelection that there is still a problem with racism and equal opportunities in the US, and I totally agree that we need more ‘Black excellence’. Furthermore, it is depressing that we still have so few leading black politicians in the UK and there is no sign of a British Obama. Why do you think this is? What should be done to change this?
Overall, I think your writing is of a very high standard, but we can always improve! One way I would like you to think about improving your writing is by using the full range of punctuation, including colons and semi-colons. Follow this link to find out how to use them properly (they are often misused!) and try to add one of each to your post.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_05.htm
Thank you, I'll try to add some more complex punctuation correctly and as far as having a 'British Obama' I think it's because there is no motivation from the beginning to aspire that high and because of how the system works and people's current financial situations its easy to just settle for what seems an achievable goal because of your socio-economic state.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed and agreed with your writing on the issue of black on black violence. I think your writing is excellent. Also, the level of detail in which you delved into the song and the meaning behind it, as well as the meaning behind the meaning, was thorough and interesting. If you enjoy the story behind this song, and what it's about, might I recommend a song of my own? It's called "Thieves in the Night" by Mos Def and Talib Kweli. An amazing track that tackles the cruelty black people have suffered, and black on black violence, as well as many other issues such as racism and morality.
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