resident is on fire. The commotion caused by his tiraera once morest the Colombian interpreter J Balvin has not dissipated, when now he returns to the ring to launch a furious criticism of the denial of the cultures that originated the American continent and at the same time a recognition of his contributions. It is an affirmation of the identity of America beyond the United States and, at the same time, repudiates violence, colonialism, corruption, police abuse and exploitation.
“This is not America” is the rapper’s new bet following a year and a half without presenting new content, with the exception of BZRP Music Sessions #49, which he recorded with Argentine producer and DJ Bizarrap. He is accompanied by the Cuban twins, of Afro-French descent, Ibeyi. Naomi Díaz brings her percussions to this song and her sister Lisa-Kaindé sings in the chorus: “We are here, we are always here, we did not leave, we do not leave, we are here to remind you if you want, my machete bites you”.
This release is accompanied by a mini-documentary video in which the anger, frustration and dominance of the artist in his genre are collected. Residente’s vision for the video -as stated in the press release- is to share the message that all cultures and countries under the American continent are one; not separate and that it is time to create an evolution for unity and adapt to social change.
The narrative and the images of the song and its video share the history of colonization through language and the misrepresentation of what America really is, continues the explanation of the audiovisual work directed by Frenchman Gregory Ohrel and the rapper himself. Throughout “This Is Not America”, Residente shares the pain of the “great divide”, which is the continental-social division between North and South America by the United States. He also shares the pain of those cultures and countries that have been invaded and used, but are not considered “American.”
The video “This is Not America” presents a symbolism of different cultures, portraying indigenous children sitting on disposable objects of global capitalism and, on the other hand, placing pre-Columbian monuments in the middle of first world panoramas. Highlighting the similarities between dance steps and a police assault, the images are thought-provoking.
This work is part of Residente’s collaboration three years ago with professors from Yale University and New York University, where they studied his brain waves along with the brain patterns of worms, mice, monkeys, flies, and many more, to create musical frequencies that would become rhythms. Residente’s work with universities began with the creation of his second solo album. For this song, Residente used his own brainwaves and the brainwaves of worms to develop emphatic waves of electronica mixed with his rapping, Ibeyi’s vocals, and Puerto Rican percussion.
