A Tree Never Grown by Hip Hop For Respect (2000)

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Hip Hop for Respect was a 2000 effort that released an EP for Rawkus Records. It was arranged by Mos Def and Talib Kweli to speak out about police brutality in general and against the case of Amadou Diallo in particular.

Amadou Diallo was shot and killed by the New York City Police Department as he went to pick up his wallet and the police fired 41 shots at the unarmed man, so the subject of police brutality was prevalent. The project was planned to gather 41 emcees to represent the 41 shots.[1]

Key Lyrics

A Tree Never Grown by Hip Hop For Respect Cover

“This is for Amadou Diallo Rest in peace, you still here”

“Thinkin about brother Diallo I find it hard to swallow Cause 41 is a hard act to follow Who is it, it can happen tomorrow Goes down all the time in some African community This one just hit closer to home Cause it happened in our backyard This that *shit* bring us closer to home”

“Cause nowadays, tips ain't the only things that's hollow Constitution, 41 more holes in it And cops swingin sticks like they tryin to win the pennant And stickin sticks places where they ashamed to admit it” [2]

Protest on Police Brutality on Amadou Diallo

In February 1999, four plainclothes NYPD officers shot and killed Amadou Diallo, an unarmed immigrant from Guinea, in the Bronx, mistaking his wallet for a rifle. Infamous, 41 bullets were fired at Diallo—that number became shorthand for police excesses. The shooting of Diallo and the eventual acquirement of all four officers attracted international criticism and prompted hundreds of artistic responses, including a project by the 41 rappers who constituted the Hip Hop For Respect project, Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

Their 2000 EP featured "A Tree Never Grows," the title of which was a mournful take on what was missing with Diallo's passing [3]

Along with many New Yorkers, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey (then known as Mos Def), who performed together as a Black Star, were horrified by Diallo's death. A variety of protests occurred in the city in the weeks that followed, including a march across the Brooklyn Bridge led by Reverend Al Sharpton. Yet the rappers were searching for other ways to protest. Diallo's death finally acted as a spark for Hip Hop for Respect, a four-song EP co-ordinated by Kweli and Bey that tackled rage and paranoia bubbling in New York at the time. "I was inspired by artists who, through music and beyond, were directly involved in actions that spoke to the needs of the community. I just thought that that’s what you’re supposed to be doing" Kweli said.

In the midst of what seems like an endless procession of young black men dying at the hand of the police, Hip Hop for Respect’s message, unfortunately, still resonates today.[4]

Reference

  1. Hip Hop For Respect. en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2021.
  2. A Tree Never Grown. genius.com. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2021.
  3. Wang, Olivia. We Insist: A Century Of Black Music Against State Violence. June 26, 2020. npr.org. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2021.
  4. Golianopoulos, Thomas. Before #BlackLivesMatter: Remembering ‘Hip Hop for Respect’ and Rap’s Response to Police Brutality. September 4, 2015. grantland.com. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2021.