May 25 marked the 2nd anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, and sadly nothing has really changed. Racially motivated killings and cops murdering black people continue to be an ongoing concern.
In connection with this, twin sisters Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz of the Cuban-Venezuelan duo Ibeyi address the issue with their reworking of Black Flag’s 1981 classic hardcore punk anthem “Rise Above.” The cover is off their recent album Spell 31, and it includes an additional verse by Trinidad rapper Berwyn paying tribute to Floyd.
Naomi stated the following about the tune: “BERWYN is on this track. He listened to it, and he did his verse really fast. For him, listening to this song made him think of George Floyd, and it’s beautiful. I think the thing is, with this song, you can think about everything. It could be for women. It could be for minorities. It’s a song for the oppressed. It could be something small or something really big, but I think this song is just empowering.”
Concerning themes of empowerment lyrics such as “We are tired of your abuse. Try to stop us; but it’s no use!” resonates more than ever. Ibeyi version may be a radical departure musically, but they nail the spirit in delivering a galvanizing message of standing up against oppression.