Video: Talib Kweli – “Distractions”

Ενώ περιμένουμε να μάθουμε πότε θα κυκλοφορήσει επιτέλους το πολυαναμενόμενο album των Black Star , o Talib Kweli κυκλοφορεί ένα νέο video και τραγούδι με τίτλο “Distractions” εμπνευσμένο και με πλάνα από το κίνημα διαμαρτυρίας “Occupy Wall Street”.

To τραγούδι θα περιέχεται στο επερχόμενο νέο album του με τίτλο “Prisoner Of Conscious”

Δείτε το video παρακάτω αλλά και διαβάστε στη συνέχεια

“A little less a year ago, I got a beat from one of my favorite producers, Oh No, that I felt would be a perfect sound bed for the album I was working on, Prisoner Of Conscious. As I played the beat over and over trying to write lyrics, I kept finding myself distracted. By the TV, by twitter, by trivial things. I realized then that the beat was asking me to write about Distractions.

Beats talk to me. They tell me what to rap about, they suggest a guest for the song. One of the things I was distracted by was the news coming from Tahrir Square last year. The Arab Spring was unlike anything I’ve seen in my lifetime. Beginning with a vegetable cart owner named Mohammed Bouazizi setting himself on fire in Tunisia to protest general unfair treatment, the Arab Spring spread like wildfire to Sudan and then to Egypt, as thousands of protestors occupied Tahrir Square to call for corrupt president Hosni Mubarak to step down.

The first line that I wrote for my song Distractions was, “they say it ain’t about the spoils of war, but turn around and tell you how much more the oil will cost.” This was inspired by the Arab Spring.

Fast forward to September, 2011. Occupy Wall Street exploded into the collective consciousness of the world, but it started right here in New York City. I didn’t understand that this protest was something that was ongoing at first, so I did not pay much attention in the beginning. However, when I saw my contemporaries like Lupe Fiasco bringing blankets and Immortal Technique making multiple trips, I knew this was something I had a responsibility to be involved in.

I went to Zucotti Park the day after I arrived back in NY. I traveled with Jamie Kilstein and Allison Kilkenny from Citizen Radio, and res, my partner in Idle Warship. What I saw made me proud of my hometown. Sure, I probably saw some homeless people. If the homeless aren’t in the 99 percent, who is? What was more prevalent was the organization, the sense of community. I saw students, musicians, wall street types, blue collar types, older activists and fresh faced newbies. It was the most democratic, American thing I had ever witnessed. And to think, it was inspired by the Arab Spring, just like my song!

I was asked to address the crowd at the General Assembly, which is a daily gathering to discuss the issues at hand and how the people can move forward. Even though I am accustomed to being an entertainer, the thought of addressing people who were literally giving ever