In 2016, the Compton-based rapper joined forces with Nipsey Hussle to release the DJ Swish-produced anthem, "FDT (F*** Donald Trump)." Filming the music video on Crenshaw and 71st in solidarity with the local Mexican community, the music video opens with a message: "As young people with an interest in the future of America...we have to exercise our intelligence and choose who leads us into it wisely. 2016 will be a turning point in this country's history... the question is...in which direction will we go?" Both spontaneous and earnest in spirit, the homegrown authenticity of the musical uprising caught on like wildfire, prompting censorship attempts by the Secret Service.
Four years later, YG aimed to recapture the energy with "FTP (F*** the Police)." Both an expansion of the protest cadence that he had created in his collaborations with Nipsey as well as a nod to the N.W.A classic, the beats are similar, down to the Swish-tapped production. The video opens with a somber, poignant quote from Martin Luther King Jr. on a black screen as the performance is interspersed with actions of protest, closing with a monologue from Sedan Smith.
There is something remarkably grim, however, to watch a staged spectacle being put on in the center of protests for Black lives. Celebrity appearances are flagged in the video with the same poignance as burning cop cars; organized video ops of empowering chants are superimposed with spontaneous bursts of grisly police brutality, giving a tonal whiplash that is hard to acclimate to. In the wake of criticism from both supporters and peers, YG, for his part, has stood behind his message and march as advocacy, documenting his protest as a part of history. "FDT" has been identified as a song that defined a decade; in this moment, as people continue to fight for their right to exist, to have their humanity be recognized. Only time will tell whether the dramaturgy of "FTP" will be held in the same regard.
We Insist: A Timeline Of Protest Music In 2020
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