by GQ-Blu
Clean water was only served to the fairer skin
Doing clothes you would have thought I had help
But they wasn’t satisfied unless I picked the cotton myself.
You see it’s broke nigga racism
That’s that “Don’t touch anything in the store”
And there’s rich nigga racism
That’s that “Come here, please buy more”
What you want a Bentley, fur coat and diamond chain?
All you blacks want all the same things
Used to only be niggas now everybody play me
Spending everything on Alexander Wang
New Slaves
Clearly I’m already at a disadvantage because the first verse of “New Slaves” is a lot shorter than the second verse. But as was stated in the opening, I feel that this verse is much more concise and does a better job of fitting the concept on the song. While verse two does a good job articulating Ye’s frustration with the trappings of fame and how he won’t allow himself to be a corporate sell out (or slave), in my opinion it still sounds very general, and more so about Kanye being upset than the actual predicament that people of color find themselves in, even in this ‘post-racial’ society.
In contrast, the opening stanza is a perfect example of quality over quantity. The imagery Yeezy is able to invoke with the cotton picking line is not only jarring, it beautifully creates a clear connection from one of the most symbolic and identifiable parts of American slavery to present day. Even more impressive is the dichotomization created in the very next line as Kanye explains the difference between “broke nigga racism” and “rich nigga racism”. Although not the most well constructed lyrics, even by Kanye standards, he’s able to tackle so many nuances of racism; exploitation of Black consumers, the perception of Black’s inferiority and not belonging when making purchases, and the fakeness and surface level equality that money brings when you can buy fancy stuff.
Less was definitely more this time around.
