You may (or may not, depending on your age) remember how Gambino's song immediately caught fire and went viral because of its political relevance and its symbolically rich music video.

“This is America,” came to us in 2018 during a time when the Black Lives Matter Movement was in full swing. The song directly addresses violence and racism toward the black community and highlights police brutality. The lyrics and visuals sparked a lot of controversy for various reasons, but partially because of how Gambino chose to portray the casual violence of everyday life so nonchalantly whilst maintaining a high energy, dancey beat, in a way that is kind of ironic. It was critically acclaimed and was a popular topic of its time.

There is a lot of content made by way more qualified people than me breaking down the song+video's symbolism, messaging, themes, etc. If you want to learn more, I recommend going to YouTube and watching a few analysis videos.

The general vibe of this song reminds me of the line in the song “Hey Ya” by Outkast when Andre 3000 says, “Y'all don't want to listen, you just want to dance”.

Anyway,
 “This is America,” inspired a bunch of other songs. Many of which are covers or parodies, but the song I'd like to introduce you to is a direct response and further builds on the themes of injustice and violence that Childish Gambino laid out (only more so through a historical Latin and indigenous perspective). Residente names Gambino, and challenges this definition of “America,” commenting that 'America is not JUST the USA'.
Residente's song and video expands upon the themes of the original, exploring topics of slavery, immigration, human trafficking, corruption, economic hardship and most importantly, colonial imperialism (and more). The energy is more serious in comparison to the original dancey tune, and it feels angry.

Name-dropping Gambino did stir up a bit of controversy. Residente felt that Gambino's song was necessary but that there was still a lot left unsaid, and focused on exploring other relevant topics he wanted to spread awareness on. Residente scrutinizes the fact that the USA typically centers itself on the discussion of American countries.

I really enjoy both works, and I think both are important and necessary commentaries about their respective topics. I like how powerful and full of conviction these songs are. They light a fire in my belly.
I wanted to share and maybe expand your world just a little bit.

Let me know what you think.

💗Please Stay Safe.💗

XOXO

Kari

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