Artists have a lot to say about what is going on in the US right now, and Meek Mill has addressed the current climate on a new song, “Otherside Of America.”
The song begins with audio from a 2016 speech Trump gave in Dimondale, Michigan. Making an appeal to Black voters, trump asked his audience, “What do you have to lose? You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?”
From there, Mill addresses issues of politics and race: “Reporting live from the other side / Same corner where my brothers died / Livin’ like we ain’t got care / Told my mama I ain’t dying here.”
The track ends with a sample of Mill during a 2018 appearance on CNN (video of which he re-shared before releasing the song), saying, “I always dreamed to be on CNN to be able to express myself and speak for the voiceless young men of America. The first step I would say: I grew up in America in a ruthless neighborhood where we are not protected by police, we grew up in ruthless environments, we grew up around murder, you see murder, you see seven people die a week, I think you would probably carry a gun yourself. Would you?”
CNN’s Michael Smerconish responds, “Uh, yeah, I probably would.”
Listen to “Otherside Of America” above.
Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.