Hip Hop Pays Tribute to Workers Trying to Come Up This Labor Day

Jasiri X

Jasiri X

On this Labor Day we should stop and think about what this day is really all about. How about we take some time to acknowledge the workers?  How about we honor those who are underpaid, trying to make ends meet while those who employ them decrease wages and benefits, make work conditions more dangerous and use corporate media to create a climate of hostility toward those who dare ask for a wage that’s liveable?

Never one to shy away from issues of the day is Pittsburgh artist Jasiri X who has always been a friend of the working class.  In honor of the Fast Food workers who went on strike for one day last week, Jasiri X penned a song called ‘We Coming‘. He then went to Milwaukee for a rally.

The year before Jasiri was out in that city supporting workers who found themselves under siege by anti-union governor Scott Walker..  Many are pleased that he stays in the trenches supporting poor and working class folks. One would not have known there was a fast food worker strike from the lack of mentions and discussion during the highly publicized 50th anniversary March on Washington..  We need more artists like Jasiri to bring to light what many of our ‘leaders’ like to forget or overlook.. Here’s what Jasiri X said about this new effort..

“We Coming” was inspired by the Dream Defenders, BYP100, and the movement of fast food and low wage workers to get $15 an hour and the right to form a union. “We Coming” was shot on location in Milwaukee, WI during the 8/29 Strike that took place in over 50 cities around the country. “We Coming” was produced by GM3, shot by Paradise Gray, and based off a chant by Artist and Activist Jazz Hudson. Young people are rising up all over the country and the world, believe me when I say, “WE COMING”!

http://youtu.be/t11fUJ32tW0

 
 
LYRICS
Verse 1
We organize stakes is high, in every hood and state we ride
Defend the dream the winning team Malcolm said by any means
50 years since Dr. King
School of hard knocks took shots in the boxing ring
Studied and we got degrees
Feeling like the Dr’s seeds the block is locked we got the keys
We got our shot cocked and squeezed
Hit the mark watch us lead
Prophecy born in an economy of poverty
Reagan era policies and hustler psychologies
Street corner pharmacies, car trunk armories
New Jack City Carter dreams yellow tape marks the scene
Mass indoctrination into Mass incarceration
When your school is like a prison every class is occupation
We try and say its wrong they wanna pass it off as hating
If America is beautiful
Why she wanna freeze us in place just like medusa do
We came to turn on the lights this is our future too
Who is you we new improved
Movement we were meant to move its what we were created for
We believe we are the ones we’ve been waiting for
Verse 2
We Fight for 15 Fight for this Dream
You and I unified to strike against the machine
This right wing regime got the country on lean
Cause the richest companies get the biggest subsidies
But wanting me to leave making $7.25
Coming home to my family and staring in hungry eyes
No not another day cause our movement’s coming alive
And I’m on the front lines so you know I’m coming for mine
Chicago, Milwaukee rise
New York to the West Side
St. Louis, KC and Detroit is ready to ride
All we got is our lives our dignity and our pride
Our enemy is the lies
The remedy is our energy when we see its the time
To turn up in these streets so deep that police can’t see the concrete
Shut em down we gonna show em who really run the town
We came up from the underground them tables done spun around
Young people of color found the crown we were created for
We believe we are the ones we’ve been waiting for
Here’s the song Your Fired which dealt with Scott Walker’s recall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4P6v3pGGmI

Here’s a song that addresses income inequality..  American Workers vs Multi-Billionaires

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwpSh66aEUw

I wanna toss in one other song to get you going this Labor Day.. Its from Bronx based Rebel Diaz.. It Hits Wall Street bankers hard who got bailed out and left American workers economically stranded. It’s called A Trillion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QQbRXaGsjM

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Comments

  1. Cudos to them all 🙂

  2. Great article, songs and videos! This is a really good tribute for Labor Day!
    Activism and conscious lyrics at work!

    HipHop Lives!

    Thanks for posting, Bro. Davey D.!
    Rod-TLHH

  3. fasho

  4. cool #18

  5. Niccceeee not a bad look at all… http://www.TheEntertainersHub.com

  6. Lewis Hegeman says

    one more! Y-Love & AWKWORD – “Mr. President (The Wisconsin Song)” – http://youtu.be/agNrRK5MP0U