Today we bring you, The N-word.

Some intellectuals have publicly defended this epithet as an expression of power, one that enables them to move forward from the mind-numbing horror of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, otherwise known as The Maafa (a KiSwahili term for disaster, terrible occurrence or great tragedy), or deeper still, The African Holocaust.

Others have seen it as common sense that these justifications have come about through centuries of being forced to answer to the N-word, with death or torture being the the promised outcome for all who sought out to name themselves during slavery, or even the Jim Crow era.

Declaime shares his views with us on ‘No Mas Mayate‘ (N**ga No More in mexican slang), a searing new audio single from his forthcoming Southside Story LP due to release this year on Someothaship Connect – exclusively on vinyl.

This piece opens up and ends with chopped and screwed soundbites from Dick Gregory shedding light on the N-Word over Chris Keys’ film noir-esque original instrumentation, laden with sullen vibraphones, overdriven harpsichords and muted jazz guitars sounding like a sample from the 60’s.

Declaime enters into the soundscape with the sole purpose of blasting the N-Word off into oblivion in a manner so clever, you’d think he’d gone ratchet. But as the song continues, he makes his intentions clear by cutting himself from the N-Word; being unable to utter it by manually muting his voice marks its symbolic death, as well as the end of the track.

A closer look into his verse structure reveals heavy traces of the legendary Langston Hughes, The Watts Prophets and The Last Poets – a most needed trifecta for these present times indeed.

Listen to this joint twice; the second go round is even more profound.

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