Music for Mandela | Reflections on Mourning, Equality, and the Prospect of a Better World | Jasiri X - Mandella (Listen to What the Drums Say)

We don't have a whole lot to say that hasn't already been said about, possibly, the most important political figure of our times. The spirit of peace, love, courage, faith, and hope, that Nelson Mandela leaves behind as we mourn his passing, should gives us all a reason to pause and reflect on the possibilities of a world that seeks equality, justice, peace, and love. Freedom, a word that is all too often relegated to a position within the market economy, has become almost empty when we think about our nation's diposition towards the poor, immigrants, minorities, and other people continually disenfranchised by the empty political rhetoric of freedom to operate as economic man. 

We are not economic units. We are fully feeling, believing, hoping, loving, hurting, struggling, communal people, whom long for a better world for ourselves, our children, and those around us that we love dearly. What we are missing, in our world that theorizes us as autonomous units of production and material satisfaction, is the love of those who are not close to us, who we do not identify with, who we don't understand. 

Much of the mourning about Mandela's passing and the celebration of his life is negated globally and in the United States by the disdain shown towards the poor, the unrecognized structure of racial oppression, and the ignorance of economic oppression perpetuated by the United States and the wealthy western world. 

We can not celebrate Mandela's life if we chose to be ignorant of growing inequality world wide, the continuation of racism in the United States, disgust toward providing health care and resources to the nation's and the world's most needy. 

We can not mourn the passing of one of the greatest voice of freedom while supporting endless wars of aggression, justifying torture, facelessly bombing innocent civilians, hatred of Islam, and economic injustice. 

It feels good to say that we love a man that stood for love, freedom, and equality, but this expression is empty as long as we as Americans continue to prosper off the back of dispossessed populations and people. As long as diamond engagement rings are more important that African peace and prosperity, we can not claim to hold the words and actions of Nelson Mandela sacred. As long as we continue to militarily, politically, and economically exploit and destroy the Arab world, we are not worthy to celebrate the life of a man that risked his life so that the world would recognize injustice.



We leave you with a hip hop memorial for Mandela by one of the most important, yet unheard, voices in hip hop and music. Jasiri X continues to supply politically powerful hip hop music. Check out the new single by X and make sure to listen to the powerful words.

Verse 1:
Would you go to prison to gain freedom, or get nailed to a cross to change heathens? Heal the world of this pain you're recievin?Spend a lifetime locked in chains to redeem them? When the children are starvin, would you risk it all to till the garden?

When you're enemies are stealin and robbin, will you build a brotherhood, are you willin to arm them? 

What if justice was illegal, and equality was evil? Poverty would see through the rulin body deceitful.

When the righteous need you, would you fight for your people for the slight of the feeble? 

Through the eye of the needle, was the image of a man. He reached from the clouds, he was givin me his hands. Said he was still alive, but I didn't understand. When you die for your nation then your livin in the land.


Chorus:
When I looked over the horizon, I saw Mandela in a sun that was risin.
He said listen to what the drums say, we are all gonna be free one day.
When I looked over the horizon, I saw Mandela with wings he was flyin.
He said listen to what the drums say, we are all gonna be free one day.

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Verse 2:
Patience is necessary for greatness. The question is how strong your faith is. Will it matter how long the wait is, if sacred is what source of your strength is? 

The definition of will power, cause real power don't have to steal power. Behind bars can you still build power? And will you stay pure when you finally feel power? 

Mandela, 27 years in hell's cellar, but you can't gel the lyric, you cant kill the spirit. When the children hear it their hearts rise, this is bigger than apartheid, it's our lives. 

It only takes one match to start fires, to light up the dark skies, the flames keep burnin even after the spark dies. Tell me what impact will your life have, when your lasts nights pass will your light last? 

Chorus
When I looked over the horizon, I saw Mandela in a sun that was risin. 
He said listen to what the drums say, we are all gonna be free one day.
When I looked over the horizon, I saw Mandela with wings he was flyin.
He said listen to what the drums say, we are all gonna be free one day.

If this song is not one of the greatest works of poetry, we don't know what is. Let's take time to reflect!

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