Old Rock n Roll

Album: White Men Are Black Men Too (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • Young Fathers is a multi-racial hip-hop trio: Alloysious Massaquoi is originally from Liberia, Kayus Bankole was born in Edinburgh to Nigerian parents, and Edinburgh native 'G' Hastings grew up in the city's housing scheme of Drylaw.
  • The striking title of Young Fathers' second studio album is taken from a line in this song:

    Some white men are black men too
    Ni--er to them, a gentleman to you


    The idea of the album's name is to question prejudices and preconceptions associated with the color of someone's skin. "Look at the group, this multiracial group," Massaquoi, who wrote the song, said to The Guardian. "Look at the songs on the album and we're putting something out there that needs to be said: that the walls need to be broken down. As soon as you talk about issues of race, people shut down. But we want to talk about it. What is a black man: what do they look like and what do they act like? What is a white man? And everyone is part of that, everyone is involved."

    "I think for me it embodies more than race," added Bankole. "It also feels about sexuality, it also feels about class. It's common [that] you say something and the response is, 'It's just black and white.' But everyone knows the truth is never like that."

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