Music is for the People
This post is a review of “Leftist” Performance at the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage from May 28, 2018.
It’s fitting that a band called “Leftist” would grace the free-to-the-public Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center—a living monument of the first American president who openly supported the arts for all, and who was left of the political spectrum himself.
Leftist gave us a rousing introduction of who they are, inviting us to “rock with the Left” with their politically-charged mashups of “They Don’t Really Care About Us,” “Stay Woke,” and even Kanye’s “Heartless” (perhaps referring to the perceived lack of soul in our political system). It’s not everyday you hear the word “Palestine” in lyrics.
“It’s for the people,” lead singer and rapper Deen crooned as he adjusted the mic downward and took one knee before he continued the next song. “I’ll be good as long as the police don’t get me,” he rapped—a timely statement of protest in a musical medium.
There’s something powerful about a young black man, a DC native born at Howard University Hospital, waxing political poetic on this particular stage. Would JFK have guessed black folks would still be creating music to influence change 55 years after his death? Are we still living in the civil rights movement that defined the 1960s? Leftist is another artist here to say, “they STILL don’t really care about us.”
The show progressed into a groove reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine and Bob Marley—a dichotomy of expressing revolutionary and peacemaker rhetoric. The electric guitarist surprised the audience when he belted out a gorgeous tenor tone for solos and harmonies in their mashup with Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues.” And shout out to this guy for dancing with the ax—he got low with impressive stage squats while ripping his melodic riffs.
Frontman Deen kept a storytelling cadence, bringing our attention to the characters of their songs—their emotions and experiences were felt with his poetic phrasing, like some old-school Common (a breath of fresh air for any socially conscious hip-hop head, like myself).
Deen informed us that two years ago, someone told him he’d be on this stage someday. Apparently that was a pivotal moment for Deen, who eventually turned the prediction into reality—“Kennedy Center: if this don’t feel good, nothin’ does.”
From mashups to originals, call-and-response, talent-showing solos, and crowd participation in the classic “Jump On It” dance, this was a fun show. But it’s clear that this band is about more than fun music—they are here to influence a progressive and inclusive future.
At one point during the show, the drummer struggled to fix his kit and had to ask for help. We saw a “leftist” value in action—don’t be afraid to ask for help and give help to those in need. It made me think of how everyone experiences technical difficulties at some point, and the support of the community can help us work through them. Music can help us communicate our real-life problems and offer solutions. Lefist invited their audience to rock and rage along with them, and it’s clear they are here to fan the fire of resistance.