When Sa-Roc filmed her Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR Music, the death of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers had not yet occurred. Still, her must-watch four-song performance that contained two exclusive debuts, “Deliverance” and “r(E)volution”, touched upon themes of racial injustice, life as an African-American, and the importance of self-reflection, making it the perfect Tiny Desk release amid the current social climate in the United States and around the world.
Related: Clem Snide And Scott Avett Team Up For Remote ‘Tiny Desk’ [Watch]
“I wanted to start with that because it really speaks to reassessing where you are and making a commitment to change certain things about your patterns and your behaviors,” said the 2016 Rhymesayers Entertainment signee, after opening with the debut of “Deliverance”. While she connected the song with the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, the themes contained in her endless bars of lyrical flow apply perfectly to the pandemic of police brutality and racial injustice as well.
After performing “Hand of God”, the latest single from her forthcoming The Sharecropper’s Daughter album, Sa-Roc’s producer and life partner Sol Messiah recommended another debut, “r(E)volution”. Lines like “Embedded in the home of the brave, the darkest of interiors / Saw street scholars and soldiers defect cuz they post-traumatic stressed from the American experience” set the tone for her entire performance and appropriately ushered-in the final song, “Forever”.
“It’s written for myself, for all the little girls out there who felt like they were held to these societal standards, these impossible societal standards, and if the world ever told them that they weren’t good enough, that they weren’t worthy enough, they weren’t valuable, they weren’t dope enough to take up space or use their voice, that they didn’t come from the right area or they didn’t have the right class or education or anything like that… This song is about discovering how dope you really are,” Sa-Roc preached before the opening line, “You better shine on ’em baby / You a star, forever”.
Watch the powerfully moving performance below.
Sa-Roc – Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
[Video: NPR]
Sa-Roc’s forthcoming album, The Sharecropper’s Daughter, will arrive later this year via Rhymesayers Entertainment. She currently has one scheduled performance on October 24th in Fort Collins, CO. Head to her website for the latest tour and album information.
Rhymesayers, the Minneapolis, MN-based record label that includes artists like Atmosphere, MF Doom, Brother Ali, Aesop Rock, and Nikki Jean, recently released a statement regarding the death of George Floyd in the company’s hometown. In it, co-founder Brent “Siddiq” Sayers explained the importance of confronting racial inequity and noted that Rhymesayers, Justin Vernon and the Bon Iver family, and the Secretly Group family would donate $30,000 to the George Floyd Memorial Fund, Reclaim The Block, Black Visions, and Minnesota Freedom Fund. Additionally, they compelled fans to do the same if possible and included a link to a list of organizations in need. Read the full statement below and click here to donate.