Black & Ready by Jords (2020)
Back & Ready is a song by American rapper Jords released on June 11, 2020. [1] The song contains powerful lyricism with distant chants of “Black Lives Matter”, which makes the song genuinely moving. The profit will be donated to The Black Curriculum, founded in 20199 to address the lack of Black British history in the United Kingdom Curriculum. [2]
Key Lyrics
I know that black is beautiful, but can they see it?
I know that black is powerful, but can they feel it?
Done talkin', now we're past reason
There's only more glass behind all these glass ceilings, uh
Do you know how hard it is for us to trust
When you get strip-searched just for runnin' for the bus?
And you're only thirteen, you don't tell nobody else
No, you just blame yourself
Then you see 'em tearin' down your history in the media
That you don't learn in school, you gotta learn on Wikipedia
They tell you you're a menace 'til you think that you ain't good enough
All because you got your hoodie up, man
There'll be some trouble you get in just for the colour of your skin
But don't forget to look after your brothers 'cause they're kings
Don't forget to look after your sisters 'cause they're queens
Do not let them kill our dreams, man
If you're killin' us with violence, why should we be killin' you with kindness?
I've done some bad things but I don't glorify 'em
You might have bought my ancestors but you ain't bought my silence
I'm Malcolm for the outcome, I can't let nobody doubt it
That's why we can't just say we're black and proud, we gotta shout it
They don't wanna let us through to the top
I'd go back to where I came from if I knew where that was
They're killin' people in the States
There's people gettin' killed on our estate
Feds say that they gotta put in our place
But look at Grenfell, they can't even put 'em in a place, man
Fuck a petition when you're a man on a mission
This ain't 12 Years a Slave, it's twenty-six years a victim
I'll give you respect when you give us the time of day
Just an angry black man tryna find a way [3]
Black Empowerment
Black & Ready’s major theme is about race relations, Jords gives his sincere and honest thoughts about the topic, with its lyrics alongside with the faint chants “Black Lives Matter” in the background. This creates an empower track for the black community.
The singer also announced that the proceeds from the song will be donated to The Black Curriculum, which is an organization devoted to facilitating social change by “delivering arts focused Black history programmes, providing teacher training and campaigning through mobilising young people”. [4]
Jords also explained his further views in a statement regarding how they feel and its correlation with the song:
Right now, I am an angry black man. One of many angry black people. One of many hurt black people. But also, one of many passionate black people. One of many determined black people. One of many brilliant black people. I am done complaining. It’s time for us to build. I will do all that I can to help build the black community in any way. I put my emotions into a song, and we will be donating all the profits of this song to The Black Curriculum, a social enterprise founded in 2019 to address the lack of Black British history in the UK Curriculum. This is just the start. It’s time to own who we are, own what we do, and build what we own. I love being black. I am Black And Ready.
Yours, Jords [5]
References
- ↑ Black & Ready Jords. Genius. Retrieved January 19, 2021
- ↑ Sullivan, Kieron. Jords – Black & Ready. Ukhh. July 4, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021
- ↑ Black & Ready Jords. Genius. Retrieved January 19, 2021
- ↑ Wynter, Courtney. LISTEN TO JORDS’ EMPOWERING NEW SINGLE “BLACK & READY”. GRM Daily. June 12, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021
- ↑ RB, Anto. jords gives us an emotive Black and ready new single. Finesse Foreva. July 20, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021