As Black History Month comes to an end, Chance The Rapper is reminding us of his inspirations and the moments that shaped our nation. Today (February 24), Chance has shared a second version of his visual for “Yah Know.” This one offers historical context to the songs and the people and moments to which he alludes in the lyrics.
Some of the notable lines on the song include “Blueprints in an unzipped file / Akwaaba, medaase / That’s the end of my speech / Tell ’em, ‘Spread the word from Osu to Kumasi’ / This for Dr. Kwame, Selassie and Nnamdi / Tell ’em, ‘Free the youth or we gon’ free the army’ / Pray no man can harm me, can’t no man can harm me.” The visual element juxtaposes these lines with images and footage of these people and moments.
In a recent interview with XXL, Chance detailed his upcoming album, Star Line Gallery, and noted that it will have a unique sound, which he says can’t be replicated.
“I don’t think it sounds like anybody else,” Chance said. “I actually know it doesn’t sound like anybody else. But it is very influenced by a culture and a lineage and a legacy that precedes me. You can expect it to be very Black. It’s not necessarily drenched in trauma or it doesn’t necessarily have that Black sense of humor. It’s really me and my travels, creating new friendships, getting better in my different art forms such as videography and cinematography. And it’s me just bearing witness to what I see and bearing who I am.”
You can watch the visual above.