American Oppression

American Oppression

Michael “Killer Mike” Render is a modern rapper who unapologetically brings a range of political topics to light. His R.A.P. Music album, was released in 2012, around the time that information was being uncovered about the unprecedented incarceration rates, especially of African-Americans. Prisoners are paid nothing or almost nothing to provide cheap and consistent labor for corporations. And reported in 2008, America held twenty-five percent of the world’s prison population when the country only makes up five percent of the world’s population (Peláez). If every state were a country, many of them top the charts for having the highest number of incarceration rates in the world (Wagner). However, this type of information can easily be watered down then swept under the rug with comments like, “Oh well, I am sure the cops are just doing their job,” or “They’re in prison for doing something really bad, they deserve to get punished.” Killer Mike’s political knowledge is evident in R.A.P. Music, and album that invigorates his listeners as his lyrics explore systemic racism of African-Americans, who experience a disproportionate amount of excessive police force, and imprisonment and exploitation, which is exacerbated by corporate power. 

The song “Reagan,” included in the R.A.P. Music album, emphasizes that racism never completely went away in America. During Reagan’s presidency, “They declared the war on drugs, like a war on terror/But what it really did was let the police terrorize whoever/But mostly black boys, but they would call us ‘niggers’” (“Killer Mike – Reagan.”). It became a lot easier to find and criminalize young black men for  possession of illegal drugs, including marijuana, even if they had never committed a violent crime. Because of racial profiling, and the frequent dehumanization of African-Americans, it is more likely for a black person to be subject to search and seizure than a white person. Racist cops not only use this to their advantage, but they use it as an excuse to exercise excessive force on non-violent individuals, explicitly stated by Killer Mike, “And lay us on our belly, while they fingers on they triggers/They boots was on our head, they dogs was on our crotches/And they would beat us up if we had diamonds on our watches” (“Killer Mike – Reagan.”). Despite the fact that black people and white people use marijuana at about the same rate, arrests of black people have been almost four times higher than arrests of white people, documented from 2007 to 2010. Black men are racially profiled and seized and become victims of excessive force (ACLU). In August 2019, video evidence of an unarmed man, named Elonte McDowell, victim to a cop’s near fatal amount of force went viral. McDowell had tried to flee the scene after police uncovered his illegal possession of marijuana, however after this did not give the a cop the right tase him a number of times then bring him to the ground and torture him in a chokehold. It is unlikely the officer will face punishment, other than “temporary reassignment,” despite the recent ban of the chokehold in Illinois (Allen). 

Even after people are tortured and arrested on the streets, it is possible for those charged only with possession of illegal drugs to be sent to prison, where “thanks to Reaganomics, prison turned to profits/’Cause free labor’s the cornerstone of US economics/’Cause slavery was abolished, unless you are in prison” (“Killer Mike – Reagan.”). One man, Bernard Noble, a father of seven children, was sentenced to thirteen years of hard labor in prison for carrying two joints worth of marijuana in 2011. The justification for his sentence was his record of cocaine and marijuana possession in the past, but the treatment still felt unfair because many states, other than Louisiana, were legalizing it, and none of his crimes were violent (Lewis). Convicted black men are given more severe sentences and sometimes have difficulty getting parole (12,13). Once in prison, anyone can be subjected to forced labor without compensation; ratified in 1865, section one of the 13th Amendment of the American constitution justifies it, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime for which the person has been duly convicted, shall exist withing the United States or any place subject to its juristiction” (Garcia). Arguably this would not be so bad if the jobs were humane, realistic, at least paid minimum wage, and prepared them for their life after prison or allowed them to send a helpful amount of money home.  The combination of allowing slavery in prison and disproportionately sending African-Americans to prison, proves that the government and the law enforcement never abolished slavery. 

In 2010, prison inmates in Georgia went on strike. It was coordinated across seven state prisons and lasted about six days. They refused to go to work and stayed in their cells to protest unpaid labor, and inhumane treatment. The strike ended with some prisoners going to the law library with the intent to learn how to file a lawsuit (Spencer). As of 2017, Georgia continues to not pay its prison laborers (Sawyer). In California, prisoners are mislead with well renowned jobs such as fire fighting, but know that even if they pursue it while they are behind bars they will never be able to be a fireman outside of prison is heartbreaking and unjust. Recently this happened with the massive fires, they were allowed to earn an extra dollar a day fighting the fires or even reduced sentences, but legislation Governor Gavin Newson signed allows former prisoners only to help assist in emergency response units, “stop[ping] short of allowing them to become full-fledged firefighters” (Chapman). They risk their lives fighting these fires for their fellow American citizens, a handful even have died on duty, one would think they get better compensation in a number of ways for their heroic actions. The prison system is an example of the intersection of corporate greed and racism. 

Corporate influence is strong in the government which enables them to keep the cost of labor extremely low in the prison systems. In Killer Mike’s “Untitled,” he stresses that his lyrics are “not fiction that is sold by conglomerates” (“Killer Mike (Ft. Scar) – Untitled.” ). He does not work for the conglomerates and therefore can be a trusted outspoken voice for prisoners exploited for corporate profit. Politicians, however, in order to get elected, they need funding and will often take money from corporations for their campaigns. As soon as they take corporate money that’s who they are working for. Members of the House of Representatives are up for reelection every two years, so they are constantly fundraising. Corporations’ deep pockets are the politicians’ easy way to get in the House and stay in. If the corporations are behind a presidential election, the integrity of the Supreme Court can be affected too, because the President has the power to nominate and appoint Supreme Court justices. Both Supreme Court cases Buckley v. Valeo (1976) and Citizens United v. FEC (2010) gave corporations forms of human rights. Buckley v. Valeo (1976) states that money can be used as free speech, implying that you can buy speech and the more money you have the more speech you are allowed to have. And later, the Citizens United v. FEC (2010) expands on this idea to explicitly include corporations in having the same “free speech” rights as people. The founders wrote the constitution with the Enlightenment ideology that people and their rights are more important than anything, including money. In effect, the American government in the past has, and is currently giving more human rights to corporations than to imprisoned individuals.

Killer Mike does not align with any political party, but still believes in voting; the primary and fundamental power the people have to choose their government officials. He emphasizes the importance of staying up to date on current events, speaking out, taking to the streets in protest, and helping others get to the voting booths is all a very important part of the active voting process. Mindless hope after checking off your ballot for presidential elections and apathy for local elections is not what is going to facilitate change. Democratic officials have not prioritised improving the quality of life for the black community and the marginalized. They speak for the black voters but they do not act for the black voters. Killer Mike wants African-Americans to stop letting Democrats take them for granted. They have got to start demanding their rights and what they deserve by threatening to stay home and not vote. He does not necessarily want people to not vote, but he understands that much of the black community will always vote Democrat without keeping the heat on their representatives to improve their quality of life (TMZ). Voting in a democracy is necessary, but after being marginalized for so long  other more drastic strategies may need to be considered in order for the black community to truly be heard. 

 Killer Mike knows African-American men should not have to live in this country each day running from the bullet, still fighting for their civil rights. Together, each demographic makes America. Standing strong, arms locked in alliance, cannot be successful if there is someone kicking down the person beside them. To hurt one American is to hurt the rest. The rich get the longest reprieve, but eventually they will tumble down too. His ideas are not new, “but there’s a tangible thill in hearing someone tell it like it is with such conviction” (Cohen). Hopefully his drive to raise awareness, inform others, and persuade them to vote, will impact enough people to make a difference.

Works Cited

ACLU. “Marijuana Arrests by the Numbers.” American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.org/gallery/marijuana-arrests-numbers.

Allen, Karma. “Investigation Underway after Video Appears to Show Officer Choking Man.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 28 Aug. 2019, abcnews.go.com/US/investigation-underway-video-appears-show-officer-choking-man/story?id=65241704.

Chapman, Isabelle. “Prison Inmates Are Fighting California's Fires, but Are Often Denied Firefighting Jobs after Their Release.” CNN, Cable News Network, 31 Oct. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/10/31/us/prison-inmates-fight-california-fires-trnd/index.html.

Cohen, Ian. Killer Mike “R.A.P Music.” Review of R.A.P Music, by Killer Mike. Pitchfork, May 15 2012, https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16537-killer-mike-rap-music/

Garcia, Ruben J. “US Prisoners' Strike Is Reminder How Commonplace Inmate Labor Is – and That It May Run Afoul of the Law.” The Conversation, 31 Jan. 2020, theconversation.com/us-prisoners-strike-is-reminder-how-commonplace-inmate-labor-is-and-that-it-may-run-afoul-of-the-law-101948.

“Killer Mike – Reagan.” Genius, 15 May 2012, genius.com/Killer-mike-reagan-lyrics.

“Killer Mike (Ft. Scar) – Untitled.” Genius, 16 Mar. 2012, genius.com/Killer-mike-untitled-lyrics.

Lewis, Nicole, and Maurice Chammah. "Seven Years Behind Bars for Two Joints - and Now He’s Free: Bernard Noble, Whose Case Became a Symbol of Harsh Drug Laws, Walks Out of a Louisiana Prison."ProQuest, Apr 12, 2018, http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2048/login?url=https://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2457/docview/2024173139?accountid=38295.

Peláez, Vicky. “The Prison Industry in the United States: Big Business or a New Form of Slavery?” Global Research, 15 Dec. 2019, www.globalresearch.ca/the-prison-industry-in-the-united-states-big-business-or-a-new-form-of-slavery/8289.

Sawyer, Wendy. “How Much Do Incarcerated People Earn in Each State?” Prison Policy Initiative, 2017, www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2017/04/10/wages/.

Spencer, N. (2011). Georgia prisoners strike for wages, better medical care and food. Prison Legal News, 22(1), 24. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/851775320?accountid=38295

TMZ. “Killer Mike On Why Hillary Clinton's Gonna Owe the Black Community | TMZ.” YouTube, YouTube, 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwaolqjGRZY&list=PLogDUhtBbbNO0Bu-kQu2MJRwRI_iJZkms&index=7&t=0s.

Wagner, Peter, and Wendy Sawyer. “States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2018.” Prison Policy Initiative, June 2018, www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2018.html.

Winerip, Michael, et al. “For Blacks Facing Parole in New York State, Signs of a Broken System.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/12/04/nyregion/new-york-prisons-inmates-parole-race.html.