mandag den 3. februar 2014

Prolyphic & Buddy Peace - "Six Feet High" (Booomerang-kampagne status: 3000+)

Så rundede kampagnen de 3000 kroner, så her får I næste nummer fra LEFTOVERS2013 


Det hører desværre ikke til iblandt sjældenhederne, at USA udsættes for voldsomme og ødelæggende naturkatastrofer. Skulle vi høre om dem alle herhjemme i Danmark, ville det være på ugentlig basis. Vi hører som regel kun om dem, der er så massive i deres destruktion, at medierne ikke kan negligere dem. Katrina i 2005, Ike i 2008, Sandy i 2012. Navnene sidder nogenlunde fast. Billederne fra fjernsynet sikkert ligeså. 
     Man kunne måske lokkes til at tro, at hvis vi ikke har hørt om dem, så har naturkatastroferne nok ikke været så slemme, - i hvert fald ikke "værd" at skrive om. Det passer naturligvis ikke. Katastrofer bliver ikke først forfærdelige når de er navngivet. 

I marts måned 2010 blev New England på USA østkyst ramt af flere orkaner. Ikke store nok til, at vi har hørt om det herhjemme, men store nok til, at virkelig mange mennesker mistede virkelig meget. En af dem, der mistede stort set alt, er faderen til Rhode Island rapperen Prolyphic. Orkanerne resulterede i massive oversvømmelser, der i løbet af få dage skyllede hans arbejde væk. 60 år havde det taget ham at bygge det op fra bunden; væk var det i løbet af nogle timer. 

"Six Feet High" er en af de absolut bedst fortalte historie fra 2013. Fortalt fra New England's arbejderklasses perspektiv handler den om familietragedie, om at blive svigtet af regeringen og om at starte fra scratch og finde trøst i sine medmennesker.
     Beatet er kreeret af britiske Buddy Peace, der har støbt et mesterværk med denne produktion. Trommerne er komplekst sat sammen, bassen gynger som en drøm, flere lag af keys flyder let og melodisk, og mere skramlende elementer oversvømmer omkvædet. En personlig favorit fra sidste år.


With no warning to what the storm would bring ock 
The next morning flood waters reached the awning 
I got the call when he stalled said he lost it all 
Body of work submerged, 31st the curtains fall 
An act of God that top records and it shocked experts 
They blocked exits, cops present trying to stop the wreckage 
My father watched from the top of 37 to bear witness 
To his biggest fear and his career’s finished 
He stared into the distance where he peered for pictures 
Of his disappearing business and his tears would smear the image 
They weren’t prepared for how severe the river’s brim cleared 
Sixty years washed away in one day just isn’t fair 
And I don’t wanna hear “Your father’s in our prayers” 
I know they’re sincere, but what he needs is money to begin repairs 
Cuz if you went there, breathed the air 
Ankle deep in fecal drear, with people who cared 
You would leave there 
With a new perspective, not sympathetic gestures 
Cuz what’s more important is to pay it forward and relay the message 
Of what you saw or didn’t, like Federal assistance 
So don’t believe the hype or what you see on television 
Cuz FEMA doesn’t give grants to businesses just residences 
And loans at 6% interest starts to get expensive 
Plus they need collateral, its not palpable or salvageable 
And I don’t know what my Dad’ll do 
We’re on our own to rebuild it’s just a fact of life 
If all we sacrificed was for nothing, then that ain’t right. 

Six feet high marked the bricks of this watery grave 
Of a place born in 1948 
The front door is a headstone, the writing is the epitaph 
March 30, 2010 was the death of that 
Words can’t describe being inside that place 
Check the pictures online Sandrine and I had to take 
Part of my Dad died that day 
Our history we tried to save and dry that day 
The sun was in the sky that day 

It was culture shock watching vultures flock in loafers now 
Roam around this ghost town foaming at the mouth 
They were excited to bank off those need 
Careful not to ruin shoes from the sewage in the street 
It’s like businesses in the same community, who could see 
Would look at us with a “better you than me” eulogy
Locals stopped for photo ops like souvenirs 
just to show their peers to be amused and proved they were there 
The helicopters, the teleprompters 
The men in suits with business cards trying to sell shit to my father 
Tell Obama there’s no Federal dollars 
No help for small businesses, another broken promise 
The governor’s away. State officials? Haven’t see them 
Only getting special treatment if your name is Garabedian 
Where’s Harry Reid and them to get us on our feet again? 
I guess they’d rather see us swim then find a happy medium 
News castors made of plastic asked for interviews 
Had Cranston Casting images plastered on the dinner News 
Disaster crews from out-of-state they bring in groups are victims too 
Detroit’s unemployed will do anything for loot 
So they get them dirt cheap, cuz they need the work to feed their families 
Pay their bills and keep their sanity while suits reap the ante 
I lost faith but gained a lot inside of people 
Week by week, piece by piece I’m helping them to rebuild
We’re on our own to rebuild it’s just a fact of life 
If all we sacrificed was for nothing? Then that ain’t right. 

Six feet high marked the bricks of this watery grave 
Of a place born in 1948 
The front door is a headstone, the writing is the epitaph 
March 30, I lost faith in the Democrats 
Six feet high marked the bricks of this watery grave 
Of a place born in 1948 
The front door is a headstone, the writing is the epitaph 
April 1st I watched my Dad raise the American flag 
- like he was taking it back

*If I'm not mistaken, the date was March 28
I was workin', and all of a sudden around noon-time
the water started coming up into our parking lot
In a little bit of panic we raised all our equipment
and our computers up about three feet
And then we evacuated the building with no warning
from anybody
I knew that right from the start, everything was going. 
We knew we had tons of insurance for business interupteries and all the umbrella
insurances, everything we thought was possible. 
But we didn't have flood insurance, so we didn't get ten cents. 
The main thing was getting everything clean. 
Once everything was clean we just started putting it back together, piece by piece.



Hvis du kunne lide "Six Feet High", så vil jeg på det kraftigste anbefale at besøge Strange Famous Records' hjemmeside og købe Prolyphic og Buddy Peace's Working Man album (med sidste års fedeste album cover?) - KLIK HER.



- Jeppe Barslund

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