The iconic two-tone ska band recently released their latest album Encore. It is their first album of original material in two decades. The band was never one to shy away from the political and the 2019 incarnation of the group is as relevant as ever. The album cover issues faced in both the UK and the USA, such as Brexit, systemic racism, gun violence
One of the album’s highlight is “10 Commandments”, which features spoken word contributions from Saffiyah Khan. Khan is a 21-year-old activist who went viral back in 2017 when she was photographed smiling and staring down a far-right leader of the anti-Islamic English Defence League. She also just happened to be wearing a Specials t-shirt.
The tune is partially a response to Prince Buster’s 1964 ska tune ” Ten Commandments of Man” which features lyrics which promote outdated sexist attitudes. Khan addresses this immediately with the line “Thou shalt not listen to Prince Buster or any other man offering kindly advice in matters of my own conduct.”
The lyrics also addresses the issues victim blaming and rape justification with the following lyrics:
“Thou shall not tell a girl she deserved it
Because her skirt was too short
She walked home, streets lights illuminating her as a target
But she started it, because she looked at him
And he finished it ’cause he wanted to
And they’ll bring out her skirt as “exhibit A” before the judge”
The tune resonates in light of the #MeToo and Times Up movements. It also provides a link between current young activists and the socially conscious artists that have