The tragic shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina has elicited several reactions — from outrage and disgust to a complete reanalysis of the American dream. A bevy of artists have responded to the tragedy including Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and now Nas.
Much like Lupe, Nasir Jones posted a long letter on Instagram, but instead of zeroing exclusively on racism he chose to discuss the false nature of the American dream; how we’ve been sold a lie and how Black America has suffered tremendously under the illusion.
He said that, “As a black man, I find it difficult to understand that our biggest export (our American culture) comes from us. The people in the streets…the way the world dresses, talks, what they listen to, what they watch…that all comes from us. How can we be the ones responsible for America’s biggest export and fear for our lives like we shouldn’t belong here.”
Nas’ statement is striking and he’s right. America has deep roots in the exploitation trade, and it’s turned the American dream into a nightmare. Paul Mooney said it best when he said that the black man is the most copied man in America, punctuating it with his now famous quote “everybody want to be a n*gga, but nobody wanna be a n*gga.”
The letter is no surprise, Nas has always been opinionated and never hesitant when it comes to speaking out. And his most recent piece is enough to make a person want to go back to an album like Illmatic and contemplate the meaning of a song like “The World Is Yours:” [LISTEN]
Born alone, die alone, no crew to keep my crown or throne
I’m deep by sound alone, caved inside, 1,000 miles from home
I need a new nigga for this black cloud to follow
Cause while it’s over me it’s too dark to see tomorrow
Trying to maintain, I flip, fill the clip to the tip
Picturing my peeps not eating can make my heartbeat skip
And I’m amped up, they locked the champ up, even my brain’s in handcuffs
