TIMELESS is the word I would use if I had to use only one word to describe this album. This album will pick you up when you are down, it will teach you, open your mind and elevate you. It is 2018 and I can still relate to the tracks on this. Damian Marley and Nassir ‘NAS’ came together to bless us with an album that would serve the entire black community. I feel that this should be the first album we do a review on because of how lyrically rich it is and its importance in uplifting the black community at home and abroad. I will also do a mini-review of how I analyzed the lyrics while at it and I hope you enjoy it.
Let’s get to it, shall we!
1. AS WE ENTER
A few seconds into this and you are already nodding your head and flowing with the intense lyrics. A few powerful lyrics that you will not miss (which happen to be super inspiring) is ‘The Kings is back, time to return the crown’ Can you imagine a time when Africans will get back all that is rightfully theirs? This song is trying to put us in the right frame of mind as we work toward getting to a time when black people both at home and abroad will be free.
Another bar that really got to me was ‘Unlimited amount you collect from us’. How true is this though? We are being exploited on a daily basis and part of this is because we have selfish rulers who are only after their personal gains at the expense of our beautiful and rich land and minds.
The overall message from ‘As we enter’ is that we should not forget and one great way not to forget is to surround ourselves with information on our history. We need to purposely move from that westernized history we had to learn in school because most of it is not only irrelevant but also heavily biased and clothed with so much deceit to push the ‘white is superior’ narrative.
2. TRIBES AT WAR
Gather around Africans, because this one is a message for you. Tribalism has been one of the greatest tools by the oppressors to always keep Africans divided. They fuel hatred amongst Africans because they know how threatening a united Africa is. They reward certain communities while causing havoc to others to ensure that the inequality leads to distrust as well as hate which if constantly fueled leads to war. We must move from this archaic mentality of superiority because we are all victims if they succeed in dividing us using something as beautiful as tribe. Tribes used to co-exist peacefully before they were split against each other.
This song perfectly brings out the issues of tribe and how this tool has been effectively used to divide. Nas speaks on how we were once happiness pursuers now we are backstabbing, combative and abusive. He further goes to say that we should be moving in unison and that disputes should end. Nas voices out most of our concerns like why do we collide? why do the young die?
Nas goes deep on this
K’naan is also on this song. (The legendary K’naan who we enjoy listening to) He breaks down how the war against ourselves will trickle down to us destroying and killing our own which is so true and relevant as we as Africans have lost our identity and purpose to an extent we no longer value life and we put money ahead of the livelihood of our very own people.
Damian Marley reminds us that as we continue to harm ourselves, our oppressors sit by and watch as we push for destruction and despair which means gains on their end. He sings passionately on gun violence by stating that the youth don’t go to fight with their knuckles but use guns. He also does the hook to this and it is everything! Damian says that everyone deserves to earn and every child deserves to learn. In the capitalist society, we were brought into, many people are not privileged to have basic necessities which drives them to crime just so that they can survive. While it is a sad state of affairs, some few people are benefiting off people’s hard-earned money using exorbitant taxes, mismanagement of public funds and looting of public resources.
We need to quit this tribalism cancer and stop it from spreading to our future generations because it does nothing but hurt us in the end. Let us embrace the diverse cultures and alienate ourselves from envy and discrimination based on a community one was born into. It makes no sense.
3. STRONG WILL CONTINUE
‘Only the strong will continue, do you have it in you?’
This bar right here got me to think a lot about how our strength is weighed on so many levels from physical strength to mental and even spiritual health. Finding a balance is sometimes hard due to some uncontrollable external and even internal factors. We find ourselves dealing with so much from emotional or physical abuse to dealing with grief, disappointment, failures and guilt. Sometimes it takes so much of us to be strong and this song not only cautions us of how critical it is that we remain strong but encourages us to have faith and look forward to brighter days.
Damian states that self-defeat is our own dispute and that victory is found in truth, like innocence found in youth. This is not only lyrically great but sometimes we self-destruct and this causes us to lose purpose, we self- sabotage and sometimes are too hard on ourselves. We sometimes forget the wins we make on a daily basis and choose to focus on what we are lacking.
He also talks about victory being found in truth. There is so much liberation in knowing the truth about ourselves, our history, what sets us apart. There is a reason why we are constantly put down by our oppressors. One of the greatest reasons is so that we focus on the lies and don’t see the actual potential we have in us. They know that once you learn your true history, you will love yourselves more both physically and mentally, you will awake the spirit of being free in you and you will unite with fellow like-minded people which will ultimately threaten their entire existence. So what do they do to prevent this from happening? They feed you with lies about your history, they erase the history that portrays Africans being independent and free, they distract you with foreign aid while plotting on how to rob you of your resources, they feed you with ideas that will make it almost impossible for you to save money and invest. If you are not spending your money on fast food, then you are wasting it on alcohol and other drugs. It’s insane how they have turned every good technological advancement into evil. Using these vices, they know that money will ultimately get back into their pockets and that you will constantly come back for more as you have become independent and since you did not invest in a better tomorrow, you are left working that 9-5 for the rest of your life to feed these addictions.
Nas, however, encourages us that even though we feel the evil, our faith is stronger.
4. LEADERS
In a world full of fraudsters and greedy men claiming to be leaders, one of the biggest questions is who our true leaders are. My idea of a true leader is someone whose life we can derive positivity from. In as much as no man is perfect, we have had people who are selfless in their actions and words, men and women who spoke their truth and fought for their people. This song is for those leaders, those with us and those who left us.
Damian’s lyrics suggest that we should be our own leaders. This is very important and I feel like it comes from a place of accountability and truth. As human beings, most of us fall in love with the idea of someone else being in charge. It makes us relax and shift all the hard work and decision making to the leaders, which is a heavily flawed thing to do. We all must be our own leaders and this will only happen if we put in work. It also covers us from heavily trusting in people who in turn disappoint us and end up causing more harm than good. We all must cultivate the qualities we want to see in others.
We should all borrow from this and find the leadership qualities in ourselves, which are very present. Take a look at how many times you make critical decisions and the amount of time you spend in coming up with solutions for the institutions you work for. It is very possible for you to lead and leadership doesn’t need to be of people. You can lead yourself into better life choices, a better lifestyle and in the long run, motivate others to make the same changes for themselves.
5. FRIENDS
“Your real friends will serve you long, your memories might fade
Your real friends will serve you long, sunshine or rain
Your real friends won’t do you wrong, real friends don’t change”
This song reminds us to focus on appreciating all that is real in our lives. We sometimes get caught up dealing with life’s struggles and miss out on cultivating important relationships with those that will always be there for us. In a society where they have made the world closer yet managed to set us apart from each other at the same time means that a lot of friendships that are not legit are highly likely to fail. Friends do not have to physically be by your side at all times, sometimes they are dealing with personal issues and life generally and we can all relate to this. This, however, does not mean that we ought to neglect our friends. It is important to communicate with them whenever we get the chance.
This song not only appreciates lifelong friendships but also speaks on keeping our vision clear. This song is so important and for them to include the value of true friendships to this conscious album is everything for me. I personally take it as a lesson because no man is an Island. We go about it all wrong thinking that we can do it on our own.
6. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
How often do we take a step back and count your blessings? This is a gentle reminder to be grateful for good health, a roof over our heads, safety love and friends. I cannot express how important this song is so please head to YouTube and get to listen to the positivity in this track.
7. DISPEAR
For this song, I will just drop some of the powerful bars that were dropped on this track for you to take a step back and analyse these bars.
“Guns and power controlled by assets owned by financial forecasters
Who are the masters? They are the gangsters,
They are the bankers, the ones who tax us, the masses, they are us.
The sheep, the people, divided in classes
The masses pray to Jesus saying he will see us through
The masters are the aristocratic.
The masses ask if the most high is on his way here.
I’m trying to stay clear, my mind is my modern-day spear”
Nas also speaks on the media misleading the masses scaring us to a point where you miss sleep.
8. MY GENERATION
We are living in a time where it will be up to us to make a change. We must want better for ourselves and those who are coming after us. It is our responsibility to pick up from where our conscious forefathers left.
The most exciting thing about being young in this society is being able to see all that is wrong and knowing that we deserve better. Young people are the most threatening group of people to unite in the eyes of an oppressive system. This is because it means that a large group of energized (mentally and physically) people who are not easily manipulated coming together for a purpose. People who you cannot deceive with religion that speaks for turning the other cheek and living poor now in hopes to inherit a kingdom in the sky after death are very hard to dissuade from their goals. The only thing we miss on is lack of organization, lack of mentors and a system that constantly ensures that young people are never in places of authority and that life is so hard for the youth that all our focus is diverted to trying to make a living.
However, this does not mean all hope is lost for us, unity is what we need to achieve first as we wait for when we are financially stable to actually make an impact in society. I applaud all those who are speaking their truth through various forms of art like music, poetry, literature and plays., It is through the medium that conscious messages will be passed down generations and instil the spirit of being knowledgeable and fearless.
“This generation is destined to do historic deeds ... If we all come together then they can’t divide one”
9. AFRICA MUST WAKE UP
This is the last track on this album but it ranks high up as one of the most conscious tracks of all time. The track name says it all!
As Africans, we have lost the great sense of pride in our people and in our land. We have let outsiders and even our own (with malicious agendas) put us down, wipe out our culture, erase our history and replace it with a way of life that has not only divided us but led to our ultimate destruction. My take away from this song is that we have to regain back our pride. We have to make things better and reclaim what is rightfully ours.
I will borrow from Stephen Marley’s ‘Made in Africa’. This is from an album that you need to binge listen to (if this is actually a thing) if you haven’t already. It is Revelation Part 1: The Root of Life and it is full of gems. Made in Africa is a song to remind us that Mathematics, Science, religion and all these advancements came from us. It is a reminder of how rich we are as a people and how much we have been misguided into thinking that the white man came up with all the solutions.
Damian Marley is asking us what a tree is without roots. What are we without our history? Where is the source of our strength if not in knowing our past?
Some of my favourite bars including the hook is ‘Yesterday we were kings, who are we today’
‘Your History is too complex for some Western critics’
This album is usually my go-to when I am a bit low and in need of some good music to elevate me. I hope this got you excited enough to download the album and really tap in. Bless.
Sabali.
