3. Jay Electronica
-Born in New Orleans (Magnolia Projects)
-He rarely releases albums, instead leaking
singles
-”When the levees broke” goes beyond the
mourning of a natural disaster: it is a critique
of the man-made disaster that followed
4. Themes From The Lyrics
• Life in NOLA post- Katrina [Although Hurricane Sandy
will also be remembered for its destruction, Katrina
exposed politics of racism] Kanye West was vilified in
national media for making an impromptu statement on
live TV, thus sparking a national debate.
• 4 police officers were convicted in fatal shooting of
unarmed teenager and a disabled man in post-Katrina
chaos, however, none faced murder charges. [legal
brutality leads to the kind of bad faith that is described
by both MLK and Mr. X, as well as Elijah Muhammad]
5. More Themes
• FEMA and corruption in federal government
response vs local response
• “Wicked contractors” , corrupt cops, mass
incarceration, insurance companies, food
vouchers are all referenced
• Redevelopment of NOLA driven by economic
ideology and monied interests; Jay says “they
closed down all the projects” in one lyric
6. Post Katrina
• By August 31, an estimated 80% of New
Orleans was underwater. The power, water
and sewage systems were knocked out and
the city was rendered uninhabitable.
• Law and order across the city broke down as
people began looting stores and homes. Many
were in search of food and water, but some
were taking the opportunity to steal non-
essential items.
7. Class and ethnic politics in USA
• Many critics, including almost all of those
presented in this class, address the economic
power structure of their time.
• The same group of partisans who had botched
the response to Katrina did likewise in Iraq
post-invasion. Within the USA, a widespread
distrust of George W Bush (after Katrina and
Iraq) fed into protests against class warfare
and disaster capitalism
8. • One writer described post-Katrina as
“terrifying nihilism that has been catalyzed in
and around New Orleans is a hot thing,
geysering to the social surface the deficiencies
in our government and the prejudices in our
own society”
10. • The last lyrics refers to the extraterrestrial
doctrines that Elijah Muhammad professed
• Links:
http://www.nerdylorrin.net/jerry/Katrina/Katr
inaRooftopRescues.html
• http://www.slideshare.net/justin22112211/ja
yelectronica
11. Elijah Muhammad, leader of Nation of
Islam
• Malcolm X reportedly had a dispute with Elijah over acceptance of White Muslims
and other issues
• From his NYT obituary, the following:
• “In his 41 years as its spiritual leader, Elijah Muhammad molded the Nation of
Islam into a significant religious body.
• At the same time, he developed the Nation of Islam's empire of schools in 46
cities, restaurants, stores, a bank, a publishing company that prints the country's
largest circulating black newspaper, and 15,000 acres of farmlands in three states
that produce beef, eggs, poultry, milk, fruit and vegetables delivered across the
country by Nation of Islam-owned truck and air transport.
• Elijah Muhammad did not create the Nation of Islam but he built it on a number of
principles. Among them: Islam is the true religion, "knowledge of self" is vital,
"doing for self" is necessary, the black man is supreme and the white man is "the
devil."
