Following the fatal police shootings of black men in both Minnesota and Baton Rouge last week, Bay Area duo, Golden Age quickly hit the studio to record their powerful response. It’s “What’s A Black Life Worth?”, a track that is both potent in its message, and gripping in its songwriting and production.
For the majority of the track, rapper Do D.A.T. delivers his rhymes in a sing-song, dub-like manner as he describes flipping through TV channels to find one police shooting after another. And his musical partner, deejay/producer, MaliciousLee, clearly knew how to complement those vocals, weaving a moody and atmospheric instrumental together as the backdrop. The two also include relevant snippets from media sources, including a poignant Paul Mooney quote to close out the song.
“What’s A Black Life Worth?” becomes even more immediate when D.A.T. flips his vocals into raw rhymes, opening his final verse with: “I feel assaulted, fear projected on my pigment/ When these piglets killin’ n*glets left and right/ Get indignant/ Straight up in it.” *insert flame emoji*
For the duo, this track was their opportunity to share their thoughts and respond to these tragedies that continue to happen. They added, “It’s our way of entering the dialogue by asking a simple and poignant question.” It’s safe to say they accomplished their goal here, and they did so even as they put the finishing touches on an upcoming mixtape, MTV Is Dead, which is set for a July 22nd release date. “What’s A Black Life Worth” is now available for download via iTunes and all other major digital retailers and streaming portals, via Golden Age Music.
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