"Rodney King" on Soundcloud
Thurz's song "Rodney King" details the events which led to the beating of Rodney King and concludes in the final verse with the actual beating of Rodney King. Raised in Inglewood, California, Thurz wanted to make an album which gave proper tribute to the important events that were the beating of Rodney King and eventual L.A. Riots. Released in 2011, this debut track humanizes Rodney King in a way that many other works do not that frame King as either absolute evil (a criminal) or absolute good (a totally innocent bystander). Instead, Thurz attempts to recount the reality of the events of the night despite their illegality and then say that it still isn't alright that the L.A.P.D. brutally beat King in the manner they did; they clearly overused force and directed it along racial lines. Thurz, through the lens of King, makes it clear (despite how obvious it is) that anti-black violence by a militarized, white police force is inherently unjust, racist and wrong; in other words, the police's four heavily-armed militants versus King's unarmed "one many army" perfectly characterizes the violent systemic and historical subjugation of black people in America.
Here are the highlights from the song:
"Fuck jail tonight, no D.U.I for for I
I'm ashing out of sight, out the window goes the green
Increased speeds, I'm at one-seventeen
I'm over the alcohol limit at point nineteen
I'm in violation
But a black man in 1991 is better off racing
I'm Rodney King"
"Derogation, feigning to beat me to the days of segregation
Out of the car, onto the pavement
Boots to the face, went in and out of focus
Trying to beat my black blue
But I would never be you, pigs, you
Boys in blue supposed to serve and protect
Well today you served me an ass whooping
And tried to break my neck"
"I rise to my knees, and receive more blows
Total of fifty-six, with six kicks
Handcuffed and dragged on my stomach on some slave shit
I'm reminded of the slave ship
Thanks to George Holliday or you will never hear shit"
"This stormy black Monday will morph its way into a black plague of agony
Broken glass, burning buildings coughing up black smoke
My pen would be a molotov cocktail of hope for all those who sit silent
Listening, contemplating violence
Awaiting their turn to play their part in the uprising
Recall, Rodney King Riots"
~ Bailey V.T.
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