Childish Gambino’s track “This Is America” went viral, but there are plenty more eye-opening tracks which address the absurdity in our society which need the same amount of recognition, such as Hip Hop artist Issa Bibbins’ single “Hands Up (Please Don’t Shoot).
The track features the deft evocative talents of Sam Jones, Daniel Callahan, Mekell Cartel, SWADE. And together, they created one of the most grounding tracks on police violence and irrational fear of people possessing melanin I’ve ever heard.
While there’s plenty of lyrical conviction in Hands Up, the calm and open question of “why are you so terrified?” in the chorus is utterly ingenious. It’s a gentle but resounding way of pointing that the hate and fear are unjustifiable. Instead of creating an N.W.A.-style single born from aggression, Issa Bibbins opted for a far more effective approach. We certainly won’t be forgetting it in a hurry.
You can check out the official music video to Hands Up for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
No Comments