On the heels of the release of his Rejoice! Rappers Are Rapping Again! EP, Gift of Gab is back with a video for one of the project’s standouts, “The Gentrification Song.” As the title suggests, the song touches on the corporate takeover of his old stomping grounds in Oakland and other American cities undergoing the same kind of transformations — from Brooklyn to The Bay.
“It’s just a song from the mindstate of a person who lived in a neighborhood that has been gentrified,” Gab explains to HipHopDX. “I think awareness needs to be spread around that. It’s something that’s affecting our entire country and you see tent cities popping up everywhere. I know people personally living in their cars and it seems like the powers that be are trying to turn America into a Third World country.
“I’m not a perfect person, I’m just an observer,” he adds. “People start going deep into politics with me and I’m like, ‘Noooo.’ I’m not claiming to be any kind of scholar. I’m just observing my surroundings and what I see happening.”
Jumbo of The Lifesavas, who routinely tours with Blackalicious and also produced the track, joins Gab for the insightful visual.
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Watch the video above and cop the album here.
