Otherside Of America

Album: single release only (2020)
Charted: 64
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Meek Mill released this searing protest song a week after black Minneapolis resident George Floyd died at the hands of a white police officer. He kicks the track off by sampling Donald Trump's August 16, 2016 campaign speech urging the African American community to vote for him.
  • During the cut, the Philly rapper reflects on his impoverished childhood.

    Stomach growlin' like a AMG, goin' to bed, we hungry

    He grew up in a rough part of Philadelphia and was carrying firearms from an early age.

    I'm totin' Smith &'s and HKs and I just was a grade A kid

    Meek's tough childhood represents the "otherside of America," which does not tally with the iconography of the American dream.
  • Meek Mill has become an outspoken advocate for US criminal justice reform following several spells behind bars. He ends the song with another sample, this time taken from the rapper's 2018 interview with CNN's Michael Smerconish on the morning of Championship's release. Meek speaks during the clip on behalf of "the voiceless young men of America" about his experience growing up in a "ruthless neighborhood... not protected by police."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."