The Black Eyed Peas are back for the first time since their 2015 single "Yesterday" with a new song called "STREET LIVIN."
The rap is performed over a combination of trumpets and drums and that feels nostalgic and at home for will.i.am and the crew. Unfortunately, Fergie is not present on the track, as was the same with "Yesterday."
The song features will.i.am most prominently: his opening verse is the longest, he sings the hook, was one of the producers, and perhaps most importantly, the song was heavily inspired by his 2017 comic book "Masters of the Sun: The Zombie Chronicles." The source content focused on social/political tensions in the 80's, and the song brings the issues to modern day in 2018.
Will.i.am opens with a classic stereotype for black men in American, insinuating these are the only options:
"Street livin', caught in the trap
Guns or books, sell crack or rap"
He goes on to reflect on current events such as the removal of General E. Lee's statue, but how the statues aren't the bigger issue.
"So, forget about the statue of General Lee
Because the status of blacks are generally
Gonna end up in some penitentiary
Systematically, that's how they made it to be"
2017 had a smaller percentage of politically-charged lyrics, according to data compiled by Pigeons and Planes.com. But will.i.am and the rest of The Black Eyed Peas waste no time in 2018 expressing their feelings as black men in America.
Watch and listen for yourself from the video The Black Eyed Peas uploaded on YouTube:
Watch and listen for yourself from the video The Black Eyed Peas uploaded on YouTube:
But the lyrics aren't all about being black, many of the issues affect society at large, like when apl.de.ap raps "Brainwashed by the television, we lost in a war we live in." And anyone can benefit from Taboo's advice:
"You can get fucked by the system
Or you can say, 'Fuck the system'"
Overall, I think this song has some very solid lyrics with meaning behind them. The wordplay fits in nicely with the slow rap over the nostalgic tune.
No part of the song really got stuck in my head after listening, it's better as a sum of its lyrics rather than any one particular part. Even the "chorus"/hook is never repeated, and again, not something that will be stuck in my head all day.
I enjoyed STREET LIVIN and while I can't imagine working it into my regular rotation, I'll be pleased when it comes up on shuffle.
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