Meek Mill Shares Passionate New Song ‘Otherside of America’
Written by SOURCE on June 5, 2020
After teasing the track with a clip from 2018 in which he recalls growing up in Philadelphia, Meek Mill has addressed the state of the nation with “Otherside of America.”
Kicking off with a sample of one of Donald Trump’s many racist comments, the track sees the rapper at his most passionate and holding nothing back. “What do you have to lose? You’re living in poverty,” Trump’s words open the track. “Your schools are no good, you have no jobs. 58 Percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?”
The fiery new track sees Meek tackle systemic racism and his upbringing, highlighting the harsh realities of being black in America. “Reporting live from the other side / Same corner where my brothers died,” he raps on the song. “Still fighting open cases / Out on bail, n***a but it’s my year.”
“Otherside of America” comes to an end with the clip he used to tease the song, talking with CNN’s Michael Smerconish. “I always dreamed to be on CNN to be able to express myself and speak for the voiceless young men of America,” Meek says in the sample. “The first step I would say: I grew up in America in a ruthless neighborhood where we are not protected by police, we grew up in ruthless environments, we grew up around murder, you see murder, you see seven people die a week, I think you would probably carry a gun yourself. Would you?”
Listen to “Otherside of America,” which was produced by Butter Beats and Shroom, above.
