One Sixth

One Sixth Releases Poignant #BlackLivesMatter Spoken Word Piece

Melbourne rapper One Sixth has released a seriously powerful spoken word piece called Labyrinth in support of #BlackLivesMatter. The video shows the artist strolling sombrely through a stark, empty carpark – and at one point, laying on the ground as if shot to death.

Before we go any further, let’s abandon the “but #BlackLivesMatter is an American issue” rhetoric. It’s not. It’s a global issue. It may have gained traction in the US but its message remains relevant and extraordinarily important here. In fact, it’s even more essential that we talk about it here because Australia likes to sweep racial issues under the rug and pretend they don’t exist. There. Glad we cleared that up.

One Sixth starts out by proclaiming “Jesus is black”. If you believe Jesus existed, there’s a relatively good chance that you also believe this – and if you don’t, welcome! This video is for you, specifically! Keep watching. One Sixth later returns to the topic of Christianity and reconciling his blackness with his faith when the latter has “put a target on (his) back” because of the former. It’s a truly intersectional piece, one that touches on sexuality as well as members of many different races. At one point, he calls out the “go back to where you came from” crowd magnificently: Complain how it is, wish it as what it was/If that’s fact, give the original owners their land back.

Not to trivialise anything about this, but can someone please give this guy a medal specifically for rhyming Pauline Hanson with tall lean ass in(to a seat in government)?

The #BlackLivesMatter protests in Melbourne and Sydney this week were reportedly a massive success, and there are more planned around the country. Get to one in your city if you can – upcoming events are in Brisbane and Perth.

Image: Dayne Edward via Fazzari Multimedia