Immortal Technique - "America's Great Hope"

After the historic election this week there has been a lot of post-commentary, mostly from political analysts and others in politics. I was checking my MySpace page and I noticed a bulletin from Immortal Technique entitled "America's Great Hope". It's pretty much an essay he wrote about the election, Barack Obama, and the future. I think it's a great look for a Hip Hop artist to express their feelings in this way so of course I had to share part of IT's essay. It's pretty long so I've only included an excerpt, but I'm sure you can probably find the entire essay on Immortal Technique's MySpace page.

"America's Great Hope"

"I watched something necessary the other night, necessary for the legitimacy of America and it’s interests around the world. Necessary for it’s religion of capitalism and it’s imperial ambition, which were not curbed in anyway with the election of an African American. Instead they gained perhaps the greatest spokesperson for their cause that they could have ever received. People that never felt inclusive now feel like part of America, like they have a personal stake in its success and for people that truly love this country, isn’t that what you wanted? To have more people who live here proud of being an American? For many people Bush was never their president, to them he stole the first election and railroaded the second one with mired swift boat attacks on John Kerry’s character while dodging facts about the mischaracterization of Iraq as somehow being involved in 9/11 and how the intelligence that led us to war was so badly distorted. Some surrogates even went as far as to suggest that Mr.
Kerry might have inflicted the wounds on himself in Vietnam to receive a Purple Heart…

The same smear tactics were used all throughout this election, the same fear mongering and questions brought about Obama’s faith, place of birth and his “relationship with terrorists.” This cost the McCain campaign and it’s supporters, opportunity and legitimacy about their complaints of the future 44th President. They went beyond the simple implications of the Clinton campaign deep into the territory of arousing the fear and hatred ingrained in the minds of white citizens all over America. And yet they were denied yesterday for good reason. The mob would not have tolerated it. His victory was a restoration of the crumbling belief in our democracy, because the loss of faith; that, my brother’s and sisters is how empire’s fall, not from simple military failure but when their people no longer believe in it. During the last few years of Bush, this is what I saw. I cannot answer if there would have been rioting would he have not won, but his ascension to the Commander in Chief has made a strong case for the people’s choice being what and who control’s America. When in truth the strength and power of Military Industry and Corporate Conglomerates saw more of a champion than any urban working class citizen could have, in Obama.

Through careful planning, timed responses, tactful alienation and one of the best organized campaigns, at long last the people of America have a man that they WANT to believe in, a man they can point to as an example of the death of racism, the birth of hope and the inclusion of member’s of disaffected society in the United States.
But is this to be?

Michelle Obama was right when she talked about feeling proud to be an American for the first time. And white conservatives took it out of context. They assumed that the Black and Latino community who have had the right to vote for the past 40 of the 221 years of this countries existence should kneel and kiss the ground of a land that is only now acknowledging their service and contribution. Truthfully I am more inspired by her words than most of his. And, I am reinforced in my understanding that a man (especially one that aspires to achieve anything significant) without the right woman to support him and offer him guidance will never amount anything. Her words were prophetic for they truly did speak to the manner in which urban Black and Latino people have embraced the USA.

As I said before this was necessary for America to do… To not follow in the footsteps of the Roman Empire in its alienation of the people’s that it conquered. Their great mistake was NOT to include their allies and offer them the benefits of citizenships and partaking in the glory of what the empire gained as a reward for assimilation. Africans were on this side of the world before Columbus, but in US history they were brought as slaves, kept subservient through a Europeanized Christendom, and lied to about their glorious past, and their contributions to the history of humanity. After all it was Africans who comprised the power ranks of the early church, Africans who nursed the philosophy of the ancient Greeks and African Muslims who ruled Western Europe for over 700 years, that’s more than 3 times as long as the United States has existed as a country..."

Written by Immortal Technique