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Fifty​-​Three Slaves (An Amistad Project)

by Marlon Hedrick

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1.
Lyrics: "May it please your Honors," lawless violence vindicated by our fathers are they pirates or sea robber, negroes or cargo in truth, does any man know? no. no law but no doubt these blacks are slaves with savage, heathen barbarian names like Kimbo Choolay Quarto Cinque captured African property from Mende these slaves rose upon the crew killed and slew, sparing only two, to put Africa in view but we do not see Africa we only see murder we commit violence to black life further by seeing violence as the black slave we remember, we remember the master as brave we must recognize the power of slavery in the present, tyrannical benevolence the moral sentence lawless violence of the masters, captors lawless violence of the owners, purchasers less violence for the violent more suffering for the silenced
2.
I learned to speak english at Sierre Leone I learned english was the words of freedom Mende the tongue of slaves, of chattel, of negroes in the halls of justice she throws around liberty language Africans can't understand it or would not or even further should not justice is exclusively english I wish my words would exist in circuit, Supreme, and district Listen. This is the resistance. Listen up. This is the resistance. Listen up now. Resistance is existence. Why would "give us free"-- a definitive moment be in english instead of Mende what message are we sending? that slavery is never ending? It's time to end that. colonial language in action court-sanctioned satisfaction on behalf of justice above eternal beloved oh great divine favor please remind the slaves that they will never be our neighbor we silence the vanquished with opposite language the opposite of providence is government, its obvious we are judging justice with English in our clutches that much is true we don't ask about the how, when, why, or who we pursue virtue through those that sound like we do but liberation is resisting the english nation Mende is the destiny Mende is the best of me
3.
Cinque Burnah 1st, Carpree, Dammah, Fourrie 1st, Shumah, Conomah, Choolay, Burnah 2d, Baah, Cabbah, Poomah, Kimbo, Peea, Bang-ye-ah, Saah, Carlee, Parale, Morrah, Yahome, Narquor, Quarto, Sesse, Con, Fourrie 2d, Kennah, Lammane, Fajanah, Faah, Yahboy, Faquannah, Berrie, Fawnu, Chockammaw, Gabbow. Teme, Mahgra, Kene, Carria
4.
La Amistad 00:49
These are the names of slaves on the Amistad schooner who want to get to Africa sooner rather than later kept in the presence of a jailer by several men who believe their freedom to be greater than even the creator who created man equal in his favor it's equal on paper but black skin has doomed the fate of many men to torture as inferior. white men are superior black men the posterior of society of propriety uncouth black anxiety why these men fit for slavery Africa please save me
5.
Yes, this one is for Africa land without white masters native-born native-tongue Mendi where our language from bondage we will overcome settling the question of freedom we are slaves only in your opinion where's your evidence at? look into our hearts where you see a stranger a being you endanger ask your divine favor does he bless negroes of a foreign nature? not according to your legislature but here I am here we are under the scar of slavery Africa is made of me black skin black body black as can be two countries with a middle passage in between is our journey flesh burning from the whip contact on my back unlawfully kidnapped but here i am here we are known from afar owned from afar went from cargo to going home in Leone Sierra and when you talk freedom know my people are its bearer so here I am here we are my soul is home in Africa I'm going home to Africa back to Africa I'm going home to Africa

about

This album is accompanied by a paper which is included in the album download as well as found here--

docs.google.com/document/d/1nBj1T02qUtwNECLnj1MHPw0cjKfJNa23DGyP84Lc8lI/edit?usp=sharing


All music sampled from Steven Spielberg's 1997 Film "Amistad" as well as John Williams' companion "Amistad Soundtrack” with the exception of a few outside drum samples.

All lyrics from this track are taken from these Amistad trial transcripts:

caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE&court=US&vol=40&page=518#t1

avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/amistad_002.asp


Lyrics arranged and performed by Marlon Hedrick
Music co-produced by Marlon Hedrick and Andrew Atwood
Music recorded, mixed, and mastered by Andrew Atwood

Artwork is a sketch by William Townsend of Kimbo done in ~1839/1840
brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3525929

Additional included artwork is a collage of all twenty two of the Townsend sketches made by Marlon Hedrick with help from Thinh Nyugen.

Special thanks to Dr. Shirley Thompson for encouraging this project as well as Dr. Tola Mosadomi for help with the pronunciation of names in "Middle Passage"

credits

released November 6, 2014

With this project, I explore history, memory, and the spaces these concepts can occupy relative to the Amistad through sound.

I seek to explore how Williams’ Amistad soundtrack as well as the sounds of Spielberg's Amistad film itself can be deconstructed, fragmented, then reconfigured towards new, productive capacities.

Through Hip-Hop/Rap, I intend to explore how sound can be used to bridge the history of the Amistad trial transcripts and the memory of Spielberg’s Amistad to give a contemporary voice to those involved in the Amistad case.

In creating this bridge, I also seek to mitigate some of the violences surrounding the memory of the Amistad case created by the violence of Spielberg’s film.

Lastly, I want to explore how the combination of the history and memory regarding the Amistad case can yield new understanding of both Spielberg’s film, and the Amistad case at large.

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about

At The Regal Austin, Texas

At The Regal is the musical project of myself, Marlon Hedrick.


I am interested in the motion between words and phrases and worlds and places.



Booking/Contact info: hedrickm@utexas.edu



soundcloud.com/at-the-regal





Thanks to Travis Riddle for the banner and Anushka Jasraj for the profile picture artwork.
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