He doesn’t attempt to overextend his analysis or telegraph some kind of self-serving parallel between his personal situation and that of Mohammed Bouazizi, he just relates a story by flowing nicely over a banging beat.
We might surmise that Pacewon’s concern for the participants of the Tunisian uprising is connected to his identity formation as a black man born in the years following a massive civil disturbance in his native Newark, New Jersey. Or we can just let the music do the talking. Pacewon’s lyrics have never been saturated with allusions to civil rights or black power, but if you listen closely you can hear the working-class pride and defiant spirit that lurks throughout his whole discography.
In other words, he’s better at it. Better than who you might ask? Come on now, you know. I know you know.
