Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Gabriel Teodros, host of Early on KEXP, is "America (feat. Lady Tasz & Vitamin D)" by Tiffany Wilson, a 2020 single on Loosegroove Records.
You know a song is good when it brings a record label out of a twenty year hiatus, which is just what happened with Tiffany Wilson and Loosegroove Records, a label founded by Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) and Regan Hagar (Malfunkshun, Brad). Based in Seattle, Wilson is also a former member of local gospel group SOUL.
On her latest single (a first-listen to her forthcoming full length coming in 2021), Wilson recruits the powerful voices of Lady Tasz and Vitamin D to convey a somber message. She writes on her YouTube page:
“This song is a question. Is this how they keep America great? With violence and hatred? What role do you play in interrupting and addressing that? I’m thinking about the stigma placed on black people as ‘Dangerous killers and blah blah blah.’ All of the mass shootings and big bombs…those weren’t us. Instead, we’re deemed a threat. The hatred has become so much more prevalent. We’ve gone back in the past. I want to make people aware.
It speaks from the perspective of a young or old white killer and how ‘hard’ their life is having been given everything. It keeps everyone subdued and afraid to fight back. Is this America’s secret weapon?”
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