"Three Fifths" describes the cost of being Black in America. Paired with production by D Nilsz, Sammus makes a powerful tribute to victims of police brutality. She forces listeners to hear the names of those lost in recent years to police and state-sanctioned violence like
Kayla Moore,
John Crawford III,
Dontre Hamilton,
Mya Hall, and
Kathryn Johnston. Most importantly, "Three Fifths" is a song that
"reminds black people that they are whole even though they are often treated like three-fifths of a human by law enforcement."
In light of a recent ruling on a
police shooting in Cleveland, the lines "I tend to round up/Three fifths to a whole" pack a powerful punch.
Sammus is a rap artist and producer based in upstate New York. She hopes that listeners and fans of her music
"will be pleasantly surprised by the contrast between the person society says she should be as an artist and who she actually is."
Keep up with new music from Sammus on
Twitter and
Soundcloud.
Photo: thewomenofhiphop.com
Joneka Percentie is a rising junior studying Mass Media Communications, Africana Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies at UNC Charlotte. When she’s not working with SPARK Movement, or tweeting @jpercentie, she enjoys singing, dancing, and sleeping. Email her at joneka.percentie@forharriet.com
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