The murder of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020 by the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin changed history forever. Protests sparked up, and people called for change. People are still calling for change, and that’s because systematic racism is still a pertinent issues. Peaceful protests have been silenced, and though Derek Chauvin was convicted, there are still police officers who have gotten off the hook for committing such atrocities since then. Important and vital work has been done, but it still needs to go further. Hip-hop artist TÎMMY the FIRST highlights this need flawlessly in his latest track ‘Throne.’
‘Throne’ is such a banger. It has a great hardcore hip-hop energy, bouncing forward with intention. It features synthy trap instrumentation and rapping with a hardcore tone to it. The rapping is delivered absolute passion and power, and it packs a serious punch. There’s an anger and confidence in it that ties right in with the serious exploration of racial injustice the lyrics hold. These vocals also use a clean falsetto tone during the chorus and a more somber rapping tone around 2:08. ‘Throne’ is extremely cleanly and dynamically delivered vocally. The trap drums do a great job at carrying the beat and controlling the energy of the track. The synthy instrumentation keeps itself creative, changing the tone up throughout the track while fitting right in with the beat. Overall, ‘Throne’ is an extremely well crafted hip-hop track with a heavy sound that benefits from its crisp production.
“Freedom how much it cost / We cannot handle another loss.” This lyrical hook does a great way at summing up the main idea of ‘Throne.’ It’s truly an important piece. One that tackles a very real and pertinent issue; an issue that’s being silenced to an eerie extent. What is this issue? The issue of systematic racism and racial injustice that is still happening worldwide to this day. ‘Throne’ does a great job at delving into this idea, calling others to open their minds to the reality of racism throughout the world and do something about it. Though we haven’t seen as much of the BLM movement in the media, it doesn’t mean this movement isn’t stil here. There are still people in small and big cities alike stil fighting for justice and equal treatment. TÎMMY the FIRST uses ‘Throne’s music video as a great way ofbuilding onto this concept, depicting images of protest symbols and mantras from around the world.
TÎMMY the FIRST is a New Zealand-based hip-hop artist who derives his musical creation from both his personal experiences and the world around him. Born in Zimbabwe, TÎMMY moved to New Zealand and then traveled the world with his family doing missionary work. As TÎMMY sums up his experiences, “I didn’t really encounter anyone that really looked like me. It
was tough being an outsider, subconsciously accepting that I was somehow lesser because of my ethnicity.” These experiences blend into the story and lesson of Throne, TÎMMY’s personal experiences driving him to see the real pertinence in fixing the state of a world that still allows racial injustice to run free.
Written by Sage Plapp
