First Nations artist and Blak Visionary Jimblah stops us in our tracks with ‘About These Demons’.
‘About These Demons’ drives home the grief, loss and dispossession experienced by First Nations communities at the hands of colonisers. Speaking more directly, lyrics like ‘Balanda Balanda y’all need an intervention’ and ‘y’all missed the message when you fail to see what you inherit’ ask white Australia to stop pretending things are getting better when it’s still business as usual.
What more can I possibly say, I’m exhausted. Running since I was 12, since I started noticing that the world was a very different place for me compared to the other kids. Running with a target on my back.
What these songlines represent is, we as First Peoples don’t want to see this happening, the difference is we aren’t able to just turn our backs on it. We don’t have that option. So we have to be active about confronting these demons, we have to activate in a way that is working towards this healing of Country. So many people claim they love this Country, but the truth is – they love to exploit this Country. If they really loved this Country, they would love us, & we would be side by side battling these demons together.
We need every single person who stands on this sacred Country to be activated, not just on socials, but at the dinner table, at the march, at the workplace, on the stage, in the board rooms, at parliament – that’s what true reconciliation will look like – when we are actually working together on this healing and it’s not just on the First Peoples to rid this Country of its on-going genocide and our beautiful way of being”.
Jimblah
With gorgeous, soulful production, Jimblah’s vocals and heart are front and centre on ‘About These Demons’. The track builds on a string of powerful releases from 2019 that speak to race politics within Australia including ‘No Clapstick’, ‘Black Paint’ and ‘House N***er’, each offering crucial guidance on the journey to decolonisation and highlighting Jimblah’s essential voice.
Source: AllAussieHipHop.com