Richardine Bartee
Caleborate, a damned good songwriter and performer from Berkeley, released a split-screen video for his new song ‘We Make’ featuring Oakland singer Samaria. As she gets her hair braided at home and smokes in the living room, the voices tell a necessary story.
Uplifting the Black woman he adores, he doesn’t hold anything back, as he shares how much she loves her and how much the world takes from her: “And my girl is not a model, but she’s what the models copy”. He doesn’t stop there. With emotion in his chest and his mind, he raps about how she takes care of him, how he fights for her after the world breaks him down daily as a Black man, and more.
The song is also autobiographical because as the first verse plays, we get to learn a little bit about who he was a young boy. “I was that badass kid, the one that you was afraid of”… Next, the line referencing Tupac and Jada Pinkett-Smith were strong, entertained me, and keep me listening. How many times have artists expressed they were problematic? Many, but Caleborate took the time to get creative with his pen.
Caleborate delivers it as an anthem for people who under-appreciated and is “for the youth whose culture has been exploited” and “for Black culture in America.” It is a beautiful piece, whether it speaks for you, or it gives you another perspective of the treatment of Black people. Watch the video below to be inspired by his skill.
