we the people

Cordae Takes A Shot At Capitalism And The Greedy People Of The World On ‘Taxes’

by

After staying quiet for the better part of a year following the release of his Grammy-nominated debut album, The Lost Boy, Cordae has returned to active duty. Now we have his latest single, “Taxes,” a song that first appeared in the Barack and Michelle Obama-produced Netflix series We The People. The lyrics take direct aim at the capitalists in the world, questioning whether or not taxes are actually used towards improving communities.

The track comes after he dropped his EP Just Until earlier this year, which featured features from Young Thug and Q-Tip, as well as videos for “Wassup,” “Dream In Color,” and “More Life,” also from the same project. Prior to that, he dropped his single “Parables” and teamed up with Roddy Ricch for their collaboration”Gifted.”

On a more recent note, he stood beside Freddie Gibbs to guest appear on an official version of Nas’ “Life Is Like A Dice Game.” He also teamed with Common for “What’s Life” and funded scholarships for HBCU students in a partnership with Disney and ESPN.

You can listen to Cordae’s “Taxes” in the video above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cordae Takes A Shot At Capitalism And The Greedy People Of The World On ‘Taxes’

by

After staying quiet for the better part of a year following the release of his Grammy-nominated debut album, The Lost Boy, Cordae has returned to active duty. Now we have his latest single, “Taxes,” a song that first appeared in the Barack and Michelle Obama-produced Netflix series We The People. The lyrics take direct aim at the capitalists in the world, questioning whether or not taxes are actually used towards improving communities.

The track comes after he dropped his EP Just Until earlier this year, which featured features from Young Thug and Q-Tip, as well as videos for “Wassup,” “Dream In Color,” and “More Life,” also from the same project. Prior to that, he dropped his single “Parables” and teamed up with Roddy Ricch for their collaboration”Gifted.”

On a more recent note, he stood beside Freddie Gibbs to guest appear on an official version of Nas’ “Life Is Like A Dice Game.” He also teamed with Common for “What’s Life” and funded scholarships for HBCU students in a partnership with Disney and ESPN.

You can listen to Cordae’s “Taxes” in the video above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Janelle Monáe Unveils A Stirring New Song, ‘Stronger,’ From The Netflix Show ‘We The People’

by

Janelle Monáe has released a brand-new song titled “Stronger,” taken from the soundtrack to the forthcoming Netflix show We The People.

Executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, the 10-part series features a number of big musical names, such as Monáe, HER, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Adam Lambert, who teach viewers about civil rights movements. Meanwhile, Monáe’s “Stronger” rolls out with an up-stroked reggae rhythm, as the Dirty Computer singer waxes poetic about seeking solidarity in the face of adversity. “Some of the friends taught me how to dream / Some of the friends taught me how to fight,” Monáe sings. “Even those times when we don’t agree / We know we all tryna save the same day / We don’t want the life without the liberty.”

Monáe has woven civil rights issues into her music over the last few years, such as when she released “Turntables,” for the 2020 documentary about Stacey Abrams, All In: The Fight For Democracy. Of writing music to inspire change, Monáe told Rolling Stone: “What is a revolution without a song? I started thinking about all the people on the front line. What could be my gift to them? It was this song to remind them that the tables are turning. We’re seeing that progress is being made, even in the midst of dealing with such traumatic events. We have figured out a way to be the solution. I wanted this to be my gift because revolutionaries need love too. They need inspiration, and they need an anthem. This is my stab at that.”

Listen to “Stronger” above, and check out We The People when it hits Netflix on July 4. Ahead of them, watch a trailer below.

HER Shares ‘Change’ From Netflix’s Obama-Produced ‘We The People’

by

Netflix’s animated series We The People drops in exactly one month, and today, one of the stars set to be highlighted in the series, HER, has shared her musical contribution to its soundtrack, “Change.” Opening with a mean bass riff, the song describes parts of the political process and advocates for education and participation, acclaiming the power of one person to make a difference. “One day, I’ll be a leader,” she sings. “Believe in ‘We the people.’”

The singer has been lauded in recent months for the string of socially conscious hits she’s released in the past year, which includes the Golden Globe-nominated “Fight For You” from the Judas And The Black Messiah soundtrack and the Grammy-winning “I Can’t Breathe,” released in response to the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin.

We The People, streaming July 4, is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and aims to inspire viewers to become more engaged with their community and government. A description from Netflix reads:

Combining music and animation to educate a new generation of young Americans about the power of the people, We the People is a series of 10 animated music videos that covers a range of basic U.S. civics lessons in not-so-basic ways. Set to original songs performed by artists such as H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Lambert, Cordae, Bebe Rexha, KYLE, Andra Day, and poet Amanda Gorman, with a groundbreaking mix of animated styles — each episode of We the People is an exuberant call to action for everyone to rethink civics as a living, breathing thing and to reframe their understanding of what government and citizenship mean in a modern world.

Listen to “Change” above. We The People starts streaming 7/4 on Netflix.

Netflix’s Animated And Obamas-Produced ‘We The People’ Shows Off A Technicolor Trailer Full Of Musical A-Listers

by

Netflix just dropped the first official trailer for We the People, an animated music video series created by Chris Nee and produced through a joint collaboration between Kenya Barris and Barack and Michelle Obama. Featuring a powerhouse set list of musical stars like H.E.R. and Janelle Monáe, the 10 episodes series will feature a collection of music videos that will hopefully inspire viewers to rethink their civic engagement. A “Civics Remix,” as the trailer calls it.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Combining music and animation to educate a new generation of young Americans about the power of the people, We the People is a series of 10 animated music videos that covers a range of basic U.S. civics lessons in not-so-basic ways. Set to original songs performed by artists such as H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Lambert, Cordae, Bebe Rexha, KYLE, Andra Day, and poet Amanda Gorman, with a groundbreaking mix of animated styles — each episode of We the People is an exuberant call to action for everyone to rethink civics as a living, breathing thing and to reframe their understanding of what government and citizenship mean in a modern world.

We the People starts streaming July 4 on Netflix

(Via Netflix)