Jelani Blackman Takes Aim At The Growing Inequality In London And The UK On "Tricky"

Jelani Blackman Takes Aim At The Growing Inequality In London And The UK On "Tricky"


August 26, 2020

West London rapper Jelani Blackman is back with one of his most poignant and hard-hitting tracks to date, "Tricky". Both the single and its video (filmed not too far from Grenfell Tower) take an unflinching look at the growing inequalities in London and the UK, in terms of both wealth and privilege.

Far from examining the subject in abstract terms, Blackman uses his own life to illustrate his points. He describes walking through the affluent Sloane Square area of West London on his way to school under the gaze of suspicion and thinly veiled contempt; Locals made us know that we weren't welcome, he says, State school on a 1% road.

Elsewhere he also looks as the constant micro-aggressions (asking to touch my hair) and the way a lot of white people are dismissive of racial inequality (They don't say stuff but they stare / Or actually act like you're just not there / That must be them ones that don't see colour), shining a light on some uncomfortable truths for white Britain.

"It's tricky to live in a world that you understand differently to other people," Jelani explains. "I hope one day more people understand the world in the same way. Even if we don't agree, if we at least understand, we can progress. I saw myself and the world clearer when I put these lyrics down, I would like it if other people felt the same when they hear them.

"The video is about showing the contrast that you can find on the same road in London," he adds. "Life isn't equal and there are a lot of people who take that for granted. Different parts of the same country are considered more or less important, which makes the world a tricky place to live in because not everyone understands or cares how bad the world can be if you come from a certain background. The shot of the burned down Grenfell block seen in the backdrop of million pound houses is enough to tell you that."



Words: James Keith


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