Richardine Bartee
“The truth kills. Being real is suicide.” — a personal favourite line from Summer Came Early
First of all, knowing that this “Summer Came Early” music video is an iPhone 6-production, drives me crazy. Say’hu, one of the hardest working artists in North Carolina, has released “a little snack” for his fans as he prepares for the release of his album. His new record titled, “Summer Came Early” is a beautiful tale about living in a world where a divisive, incompetent billionaire boy named Donald Trump could be the leader of the free world. It is about the potential of a country failing to progress and protect the immigrated people who have slaved, died and suffered to make this country great in the first place. It is about the unpopular and unnerving topics we want to hear in traditional music, spoken with the diction of an average young, black, Muslim man living in Great America. He opens the song with haunting yet honest lyrics about the corruption of his homeland and the truth about being truthful.
“From the holy land where kings and queens reside / Politics and diamonds is the reason niggas die / The truth kills, being real is suicide.”
Sidebar: I’m aware that all forms of expression aren’t for everyone, and I am sure that the artists who put forth the time, money, and effort are too, but before chopping someone down for the way they choose to deliver their artistic message, at least listen to it in full. Then, rightfully critique it.
Watch the new video and hear the sullen lyrics play out:
“In a Donald Trump world, I hope I see 28 / I’m guilty for three crimes. My nigga, wish me luck / Young, black, plus he Muslim, God dammit, I’m fucked.”
