Back on May 5, 2018, Childish Gambino released the politically provocative single and video for “This Is America”. Both the tune and especially the video was a groundbreaking work of protest art.
Recently people have started to notice that both lyrically and musically “This Is America” has similarities to “American Pharaoh”, a 2016 song by indie rapper Jase Harley, from the album, Free Pxrn: The Memoir of an American Heathen. I’m not going to comment on whether the similarities are intentional, but it does need to be acknowledge that “American Pharaoh” is a powerfully thought-provoking work of art in its own right.
The song addresses issues of racial inequality with lines like “I’m only one third of a citizen”. It also addresses issues of police brutality with “Police killed my best friend, they shot him dead” and “They stoppin’, they frisk us and jail us up”. The lyrics also expressed that as an “American Pharaoh” that Harley will overcome adversity and thrive. Hopefully Jase Harley and this timely song will continue to get increased attention. It is a voice that deserves to be heard.