Oh My People
By The Last Poets
“Poets are known to write the wrongs, state the problems, blast the government, and abandon the people in a state of hopelessness and sorrow.”
But only a few poets can right the wrong they wrote about, speaking solutions to problems they identified and giving hope to people traumatized. Among the few poets are The Last Poets.
The Last Poet's 'Oh my People' is a track that speaks of problems, solutions, and hope. The track begins with the poets asking soul-searching questions like what the worth of the people is and what it equates to, whether gold, silver, diamond, or smoke. They further describe the current state of the people/society at the time. They described the people as living in a degraded old state, victims of scorn, contempt, and hate.
The poets didn't leave their audience in that degraded state, for in the lines that followed, they gave hope with their words when they called on the people to join them to find some solutions for the moral decay. And that solution meant using their talent positively, being able to provide the things they needed. The Last Poets concluded the track with words of hope and strength, telling the people that someday, they 'may' be able to find some joy that's been hidden within.
THE BEAT:
The 1985 released track is a fusion of political hip hop, Jazz, rap, comedy, and spoken word. The Bill Laswell-produced track is a perfect blend of many machines. From Bass to congas, shaker, cowbell, keyboard, cymbal, and even talking drum. The use of the Talking drum could be traced back to the ancestry of the Last Poet's leading member Abiodun Oyewole, a Nigerian-American from the Yoruba tribe. The Yoruba tribe is known for the talking drum. The talking drum is shaped like an hourglass, whose pitch can be controlled or regulated to mimic the tone of a human voice.
THE PRODUCERS:
Bill Laswell worked with a few geniuses to create this historic track. His production crew consisted of Aiyb Dieng (congas, talking drum, shaker), Phillip Wilson (cymbal and Percussion), Jamal Abdus Sabur (Bass), Rob Stevens, and more.
POLITICAL MEANING:
Oh My People had a lot of politically charged lines, and one such was a line where the poets asked why hearts cannot be united as one for freedom in the future. This revolutionary statement seeks to awaken the people to the political reality of the time, exposing hate, greed, and the need for people to unite and fight for their freedom and future.
Just like other poems from The Last Poets, this track was designed to pitch the people against the political system, calling on them to arise, unite, and define their enemy and who their friend is.
In a significant sense, the lyrics of this track reflect Nigeria's current political climate; like the last poets, many entertainers and individuals have undertaken campaigns to educate and change people's mindset towards liberation and freedom from the old order.
