Roots reggae stalwart Chezidek releases a new single, Because I’m Black, that challenges injustices perpetrated against people of color around the world, but particularly in the United States. Not to be confused with the Delroy Wilson song of a similar name, Because I’m Black finds Chezidek in pastoral settings reflecting on racism and the plight of black people who experience violence, a denial of civil rights and death at the hands of the state. The chorus is a mournful plea from the singer: They want come crucify I because I’m black/They want to persecute I because I’m black/You want to execute I because I’m black/You want to scrutinize I because I’m black.
The video jump cuts from the singer to protests to pictures of some of the victims of racism, such as Trayvon Martin and Sandra Bland in the United States. According to the singer, “This is a song that talks about the plight of black people and how depressed we have been over the years. As a Rasta man I have to represent for Black people, which is not to put down any race because we love all kinds of people, but it’s a reality.” Chezidek will release his eleventh album, from which the single is taken, on Tads Records. The video is directed by Nordia Rose. Check it!
