This Is America

As many of us know, police brutality is still heavily present throughout the United States. Most notably, police brutality is inflicted upon people of African American decent because of their appearance. People who have never experienced being targeted by police just because of their color will never truly understand the emotional turmoil that is involved. However, there is still time to end police brutality and it begins with acknowledging the problem. This is the purpose of Donald Glover’s song, “This Is America” and its use of contradictions and powerful diction create a distressing mood with a call to action.

The beginning of “This Is America” sounds like many modern-day songs. Its uppity beat creates a cheerful mood for the listener and makes them believe the rest of the song will carry that happy rhythm. This lively mood is even seen in the opening lyrics:

We just wanna party
Party just for you
We just want the money
Money just for you

The reference to partying and money is a classic theme that is seen throughout today’s rap scene. For this reason, it would follow that the rest of the song would carry this motif. However, after this string of lines, the song takes a drastic turn.

After talk of girls, dancing, and money, the song’s beat makes a complete 180. Glover contradicts the initial tone of his song with a now much darker resonance. The beat becomes very intense with deep synths and the rattling of electronic drums. This creates a very distressing mood for the listener and forces the listener to focus more on the lyrics. This isn’t your classic weekend hangout song anymore… this is something serious.

After the beat switch up, the lyrics become more severe as seen in the following lines:

This is America
Don’t catch you slippin’ up
Don’t catch you slippin’ up

This should cause the listener to question his or her current state. Being a citizen of America, why should we not be caught slippin’? What is there to fear? If we believe America is one of the best countries in the world, what do we have to worry about? These questions are quickly answered in the ensuing lines:

This is America (skrrt, skrrt, woo)
Don’t catch you slippin’ up (ayy)
Look at how I’m livin’ now
Police be trippin’ now (woo)
Yeah, this is America (woo, ayy)

The line, “Police be trippin’ now (woo)” is a direct reference to the current problem of police brutality. Instantly, the listener (if white) now feels a sense of guilt of the questions he or she may have asked earlier. Being targeted for their skin color is a problem that has never crossed their mind and the fact that this is America is truly disheartening. Furthermore, these lyrics not only address the problem of police brutality in America but also the dispute over poverty and violence.

The lines:

Guns in my area (word, my area)
I got the strap (ayy, ayy)
I gotta carry ’em

address the dispute over poverty and the violence that is intertwined. Because African Americans can no longer count on being protected by the police, they have to resort to protecting themselves. Because poverty has gotten so out of hand, people of African American decent are forced to carry guns because otherwise they run the risk of getting killed themselves. This should inflict anger in the listener and this is precisely what Donald Glover is aiming to do.

By creating confusion through use of contradiction and anger through use of powerful diction, Glover is calling his listeners to action. In order to end police brutality, we are going to have to make some different choices. Implicit biases have been ingrained ever so deeply in our minds that it is going to take some hard work. This is only the beginning. In a sense, Glover is modern day prophet and he is fed up with America right now. Acknowledging the problem is not even a percent of the solution. The real solution lies in the choices we make towards a completely new America – one that values the lives of every human being no matter what their color. As once can see, music has the power to change a whole nation.

See the “This Is America” music video to catch an even more powerful glimpse of the problems America is facing right now.