Artwork by New York Times best-selling author/artist, Kerby Rosanes in six-panel DVD packaging with six panel fold-out, glued-in artist booklet, detailing all album production credits, contributions, and dedications. We come from a time when music was an artifact of culture that preserved the very parts of ourselves that reminded us of what it meant to be human. We think that’s worth celebrating.
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about
Chuckie Campbell returns with the second single from his new album Taking Back Tomorrow, remixing one of his better-known songs, Synesthesia," this time calling on the legendary status of Brooklyn, NY native, Talib Kweli. The song is accompanied by a stunning lyric video, highlighting the hard-hitting honesty and heartfelt message delivered by both emcees about colorblindness and race in the United States.
lyrics
Verse 1, Chuckie Campbell
In a field of bluegrass
a green stop sign
pouring black rain
glowing gray skies
tiny white lies
a black wedding dress
a world of white rappers
and black presidents
Human beauty is more
than just skin deep
I wonder if we'll ever
acknowledge just what it means,
celebrate our differences
and find a shared experience
beyond the veil of ignorance
we cultivate and teach
Unarmed black men
dead and lying in the streets
like lynched black bodies
swinging in the southern breeze
My mind and heart are open
absorbing pain of the moment
If you claim you don't see color,
you probably missed the point then --
Broken hearts and fake news
bulletproof police vests
pushing politicians backing
hate crimes and racists
mass incarceration
and urban gentrification
legalize discrimination
through systemic effects
To hate another person's
to love yourself even less
We're the same
because we're different
We're a beautiful mess
Colorless lost lives
of colorful lifetimes
should not leave us colorblind
but show us where color lies
Chorus 1, Chuckie Campbell
In a field of bluegrass
a green stop sign
pouring black rain
glowing gray skies
tiny white lies
a black wedding dress
a world of white rappers
and black presidents
Green doesn't mean go
Red doesn't mean stop
How we learn color
all depends on what we're taught
So we walk between the lines
stop and go with flashing lights
in a world full of color
all we see is black and white
Synesthesia
Bridge
Red, Blue
Left, Right
Us, Them
Black, White
Christian, Muslim
Wrong, Right
Push, Pull
Death, Life
Verse 2, Talib Kweli
Race to the finish
taking my place in the winner's circle
I'm in a circle of trust
I'm making it spin
the earth rotate when I bust
I'm making it fertile
Let'em see the colors
that I'm mixing like the medicine
Green is for the lettuce
and purple is for the lean
you know what I mean?
It's like the heroin
Got you on your balance act
The sky is blue, water is wet
You can't challenge facts
I see them try to battle back
disrespectful with battle raps
lips chapped, face screwed
like they ate a sour patch -- kidnapped
now they dropping drones
that's how cowards act
love for our country
but do our country have our back?
They try to separate you from the truth
but look, it's now attached
They want us to rest in peace
We just taking power naps
Aristocratic elitists
are using race to divide us
We at each other's throats
taking advantage of our brother's kindness
Colorblindness, another reminder
some of us find it
kind of offensive
they try to erase
the love inside us
Chorus 2, Chuckie Campbell
In a field of bluegrass
a green stop sign
pouring black rain
glowing gray skies
tiny white lies
a black wedding dress
a world of white rappers
and black presidents
Green doesn't mean go
Red doesn't mean stop
How we learn color
all depends on what we're taught
So we walk between the lines
stop and go with flashing lights
in a world full of color
all we see is black and white
Synesthesia
Bridge
Red, Blue
Left, Right
Us, Them
Black, White
Christian, Muslim
Wrong, Right
Push, Pull
Death, Life
credits
from Taking Back Tomorrow,
track released April 30, 2018
Written and performed by Chuckie Campbell for Sunsets and Silencers Music, Buffalo, NY.
Produced and mixed at True Blue Recording by Willie Breeding in Nashville, TN
Additional vocals by Talib Kweli on “Synesthesia”
Additional production and programming by Bobby Campbell on “Pretty Girls,” “Power,” and “Synesthesia” in Nashville, TN
Additional recording and engineering done by Alan Dusel at Starfields Productions in Buffalo, NY and California Road Studios in Orchard Park, NY
Mastered by Kevin Peterson at The Mastering Palace in New York, NY
Music Video directed by View Maniac
Album Artwork by Kerby Rosanes for Kerby Rosanes Doodle Art and Illustration in Manila, Philippines.
Chuckie Campbell is an American hip hop artist who lives in Buffalo, NY. Campbell commonly performs with a live band (drums,
keys, and a full horn section), to make for a dynamic, powerful, and eclectic approach to hip hop, filled with fluid instrumentation, lush musical arrangements, and heartfelt poetic nuance....more
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