On February 4th,1999, the street crimes unit of the NYPD gunned down 23 year-old unarmed Guinea immigrant Amadou Diallo, after apparently mistaking him for an unidentified rapist. The four officers involved in the incident (excluding a fifth officer who did not fire on Diallo) were acquitted of all charges. The outcome of the trial sparked public protests and demonstrations which resulted in closer scrutiny of instances involving police brutality and excessive use of force (Diallo was fired upon 41 times and hit 19 times).
This event served as the basis for "A.D. 2000" (the abbreviation standing for Diallo's initials). Rather than singing a condemnation of the NYPD, as had most other artists who were incensed by the event, Badu chose to sing an elegy which, while noting the tragedy of Diallo's killing, also observes the furor over the circumstances, which she viewed as likely to be temporary:
No you won't be namin' no buildings after me
My name will be mistated, surely
His world done changed
So much yeah yeah
This world done changed
Since I been conscious
This world done changed
So much yeah yeah
This world done changed
Since I been conscious
Oh, what in the world will we do?
Will we ever make it, yeah
Oh yeah know it ain't right
Oh, is it in Your plan?
Say, I won't be namin' no buildings after me
To go down dilapidated
No you won't be namin' no bulidings after me
My name won't be mistated, surely
Surely, surely...
And oh...
And oh...
And oh...
[ad-libs]
No you won't be namin' no buildings after me
To go down dilapidated, no
No you won't be namin' no buildings after me
My name will be mistated, surely
Surely, yeah, yeah
Mmm hmm, ooh
22 ноя 2010
