ua-cam.com/video/ReY4yVkoDc4/v-deo.html This is a great follow on to Dave’ performance- really shows the feeling in the uk right now. Definitely react to this!!
Jack Merritt was an activist . He came from a really wealthy background and went to Cambridge university...which is like saying he went to Harvard or Yale. He devoted his (sadly short) working life to working for improvements in prisoner rehabilitation and fairness in sentencing. He was known as a 'champion of underdogs everywhere'. He was killed at the end of 2019 in the London Bridge terrorist attack, and reportedly spent his last few moments trying to help the person who killed him by talking him out of it. Jack also had a personal relationship with Dave as he had helped Dav's brother in the past. Jack's parents were in the audience that night and they didn't know Dave was going to do that tribute to Jack. It's an extra verse that isn't on the studio version!
They say it's terrorist attack but we all know the truth, since he was helping people that wasnt treated fairly in prison he was killed by his own people or let's say government, because they need certain amount of people to be in prison but this dude is helping them to be released
Denz it was a terrorist attack the killer attacked a load of people on the bridge with a huge knife and jack happened to be there, jack tried to step in and stop the man but ended up getting injured and sadly died. So I don’t think it was targeted at him because the killer attacked random people first and he was only killed because he tried to stop it from happening
@@denz9734 Dude, take a deep breath, have a cup of tea, and reflect in just how ridiculous your statement is! A) Jack, regardless if how well intentioned he was, was helping a handful of people get out of prison. At most. The government would barely be aware of him...if at all. His death has made Jack, and what he stood for way more known than it was before his death. B) The motives of his attacker, and how that day went down are not confusing. They're not full of mystery. There's no conspiracy there. It was a terrorist attack performed by a nutter. That's all. C) If the government were going to kill him, there are hundreds of more quiet, less suspicious, and quite frankly easier ways of doing it than faking a terror attack. Again...just think for a few minutes man!
Jadie Munro actually Jack and the organisation he worked with were taking part in an event on offender rehabilitation with former inmates in a building by the London Bridge and that’s where the attack started and Jack unfortunately was killed. When the terrorist tried to leave the building people followed him in order to apprehend him, and that’s the footage from London Bridge.
Bless you m'deer. I'm a 72 year old white guy living in the UK, and until Dave and Stormzy came along, was not into rap, but the Brits Awards broadcast changed all that, Dave's performance, to me, was a lesson in British Black History, and it should be shown in all schools as part of the National Curriculum for History. Watching you react, I saw a person who was seeing what I saw. Your eyes showed me a lot about you, even though you know little about the UK, you were feeling it just the same.
I would recommend reading "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race" it's a British anti-racism book where the author goes deep into British black history. If you're interested.
Will you're never too old to learn I have a friend called Malcolm Prior who comes out to performances and raps a little himself. It's lovely to see him enjoying life he's white and 83 years old..
I was there at the Brit awards in February not in the pit but seated. I’d never heard of Dave but this was amazing to witness. The crowd (20,000 people) all stood up and applauded. Megan Markle (the wife of Prince Harry) was treated appallingly by the british media in comparison with Kate Middleton (wife or Prince William). Grenfell tower was an apartment block (similar to the projects in the states) that horrifically went up in flames killing 71 people and leaving 100s homeless due to cladding that was put over it to make the building look more appealing to their multimillionaire neighbours. Jack Meritt and Saskia Jones were stabbed to death in a terrorist attacked on London Bridge. He was a course coordinator for Learning Together, a prisoners’ rehabilitation programme and was working with Dave’s Brother. The Windrush generation is a large group of people that came to the UK from the Caribbean some as children some adults to work in healthcare etc in the 1960s, but recently and mistakenly been told they have no longer have a right to live here, even though they were welcomed and spent most of there life in this country.
The Windrush people started coming to the UK from 1948, with the '50s seeing the most arrive. It began to slow down in the '60s and was stopped in 1971.
Yep in The 1940s because we'd lost so many men in the WWII we desperately needed those people to come over from the Caribbean to take up jobs we just didn't have enough people to do. Especially in the newly formed NHS. These people at the time were technically still British citizens. However many of the children that came with them travelled (perfectly legally) on their parents passports. Also many children stayed home with grandparents and didn't join their parents until they were settled and had set up a home for them to country. In 1971 the immigration act granted all of those who had come over as adults on British passports indefinite leave to stay but meant those that came after had to gain new more complicated permissions. What was not realised at the time was that the indefinite leave to stay did not include these children. They would have needed to go and register individually and gain documentation at the time. Also in 2010 the British Home office destroyed all the landing cards of the people arriving from the Caribbean (there by destroying evidence of their children coming with them) in the late 2010s there was a very hostile attitude to anyone perceived as an "illegal immigrant" and a big push to be seen as cracking down on immigration in general. As a result people who had been living, working and raising their families in Britain (some for over 60-70 years) were being told that they were no longer and indeed never had been British citizens. Mostly because there wasn't enough documentation to prove they came before 71 or that their parents did. Let's be clear they didn't have these documents because the British government firstly lead them and their parents to believe they didn't need to and secondly because the British government had destroyed the evidence that proved they had a right to stay. People in their 70s and 80s who had called Britain their home for as long as they could remember were being threatened with deportation to countries they last lived in as babies. They'd paid taxes, worked hard, raised families even had grandchildren and great grandchildren born here and they had that shit sprung on them out of the blue. Appeals were so difficult and long winded that people were out of the country before they could ask "What the hell just happened?" Those still in the country couldn't claim benifits, list their right to work, couldn't claim pensions or use the NHS (bear in mind these were people who had been paying into this system all their lives) Yet until the press got hold of it and it became a national scandal the government were happy to continue mistreating its own citizens. So yeah you gotta love the Tories. BTW you Americans might be interested in the information that Boris Johnson was actually born in New York and until 2016 had joint British and American citizenship. So something to be proud of there New York. Trump and BoJo. Well done.
Arguably the best line and so true, we have this veneer of politeness that people put on to cover up the racism below. Watching Krishnan Guru Murphy interview the Met Police commander on C4 News recently he said something like "in addition to being instutionally racist, are you also institutionally in denial"?
That was a Trump quote, a shining example of his stunning stupidity and lack of awareness! He's the only person who could say it and be unaware of the implications, orange buffoon.
The bar “trying to help a woman cross the street to have her walking off” is based on some people’s perception of black youth. Suggesting that he approaches the lady to offer aid and she walks off, automatically assuming he has sinister motives.
Jack merrit was a civil rights activist who died defending people during a terrorist attack he was stabbed to death defending people at the london bridge terror attack.
Lol Duppy u should be called Dippy everything you have said about Jack Merrit is false May I recommend you read the actual news about him then perhaps rewrite the truth instead of your made up nonsense..Thanks in advance 👍
Boris Johnson has made several racist comments over the years, I don’t even want to say them because they’re disgusting but you can literally search 10 times Boris Johnson was racist on google and they will come up. Hope this helps ❤️ love your reaction.
You are absolutely correct, he wrote it in an article mocking Tony Blair for behaving like a white colonialist. It was a satirical article that deliberately evoked colonial language.
Henry E whatever the backstory is I don’t believe anything he has said is appropriate or right in any way. Referring to women who wear burkhas as ‘letterboxes’ or black people as having ‘watermelon smiles’ is never okay. He should have no right in making horrible comments such as these.
Henry E “lefts” don’t twist, they are very open minded people who see every side of the story sir. Whereas many (no all) but many “rights” are incredibly close-minded and cant see the bigger picture.
I was lucky enough to meet Jack when visiting my brother in prison at one of his rehab programmes called “learning together” from our brief encounter I could tell he had a heart of gold. I’ve never met someone with so much faith and hope in others no matter the circumstances. His death really touched me and many others knowing we’d lost someone who was happy by making others happy. RIP bro fly high.
I’m a grown ass middle aged white guy from the UK and I cried watching you react to this - particularly your disbelief at the “setup” - that it was ok for Dave to do this on a nationally televised event - despite all of our countries having real issues, the difference between what’s considered ok is astounding. Keep doing what you do, it’s pure gold.
"trynna help a lady cross the street to have her walking off" is referring to when you offer an old lady help crossing the road and she doesn't accept your help because her generation is more racist. or even when trying to help a mother with a young child, they perceive him as a threat because he's a young black man and avoid him. you know it happens to girls, too
Ive seen it so many times and its happened to me before, I also find it funny when women get scared and clutch their purse when they see me because my trainers, Moncler or Canada Goose jacket alone is worth more then their whole outfit including the contents of their purse lool
@@TheNicoliyah innit, its sad these guys see race problems every where they turn it exaggerates the problem in certain ways, me and my pals used too be watched in shops and all its standard for young lads many thing this guys on about painting young people isues as black issues just because he's black
Some context.... Jack Merritt was a prison reform campaigner who was killed in a terrorist attack. Grenfell is a building that burnt down because it was covered in cheap cladding to make it look more shiny to the rich, mostly white, residents nearby. 3000 buildings in the UK are still covered in flammable cladding, the lack of action and the lack of help for the victims shows the structural racism that keeps people in poverty and even endangers their lives. The Windrush generation refers to migrants from the Caribbean that came to the UK in the 1950s and 60s, they came here voluntarily for work. They were/are British citizens because many were/are from nations Britain colonised, but they faced huge amounts of racism when they came here. Recently some of them were told they had to go back to the countries they migrated from despite having lived here for decades, some were actually deported, and it became a huge scandal in the press (it had actually been going on for some time) and it forced a government U-turn and apology. Britain was obviously a key actor in the trade of enslaved Africans but there weren't plantations here, and apart from a few domestic servants here and there of the very rich, enslaved Africans stayed in the Caribbean and Americas. There was also never a formalised legal segregation as such, although there was huge informal segregation and discrimination was not illegal for a very long time. The Bristol bus boycott is just one example of the anti-racist/ civil rights struggle that was happening here at the same time as that of the US. Despite this, the same racist attitudes pervade here that do so in the US, many black people who live here are the descendants of enslaved Africans via the Caribbean, and structural racism in education, the prison system and the police is a huge problem. Our cops don't have as many guns but they still manage to kill black people in police custody and when they do shoot unarmed black men the media paints those victims as gang members etc. As others have said, it would be good maybe to react to an Akala video. Also everyone should read Akala's book Natives if they wanna find out more about the history of racism in Britain, and Peter Fryer's book Staying Power to find out more about the history of black people in Britain.
Love this. Not sure if you wrote this and I missed it but the goverment at the time actually invited the windrush generation not sure on the numbers but most were invited here to work in hospitals. Then years later got fucked over.
To add to this, Theresa May (former PM) was involved in a procedure that actually removed landing cards of Windrush migrants while she was Home Secretary (the equivalent of Sec of State in the US?). www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-who-destroyed-the-windrush-landing-cards . While I wouldn't say this would be the sole thing leading to mass deportations, it's certainly one piece of evidence that people would want to have on hand. There's a pretty horrible history regarding this immigration. In 1948 they passed a law that made it easier for commonwealth members of countries to "return home" to the UK to help rebuild the nation and to fill in jobs. But there were some letters that suggested that they basically were not expecting people from countries like Jamaica and India to start moving over, with some trying to divert the boats to others countries. In later years they even restricted who could come based on what links they had with the country via revisions to the bill. The people that did move over were by law British citizens via the Commonwealth, so basically hopped on a boat and got a job as soon as they landed. Due to the fact that there weren't so many documents like Passports to verify who was travelling, people who have spent their whole lives in the UK are now being asked to go back to countries they have never lived in - it's somewhat like some cases for "Dreamers" in the US.
163 people have died in police custody in England and Wales over the past 10 years. 140 were white, 13 were black and 10 were other ethnicities. With all due respect, we do not have the issues the US has with our police.
the wind rush generation were mostly Jamaican people who came to the UK after WWII to help repair the economy. The government ‘accidentally’ destroyed/lost their documents, and now they’re trying to deport them and their families because they don’t have them.
I think it's important to point out that those Jamaican people came to the UK at the invitation of the UK government. They weren't immigrants. They were professionals and working class people brought over to fill the gap in the work force left by all the people who died during WW2. Germany had bombed the crap out of Britain so a) the infrastructure was destroyed and b) the work force was depleted. The issue now is, as 'ur mum' states that the UK government somehow 'lost' those documents, landing cards, and it was then the descendants of those original people who came over who are now in trouble.. So we're talking about people who came to the UK when they were babies/school children and are now mostly in their 60's and 70's who were under the threat of deportation. Some already deported, some were in detention centres. The UK did eventually attempt to fix this after immense public pressure but there is still a long way to go, hence why it's so great to see people with huge platform and influence to still be applying the pressure. Sorry for the essay. This was a great reaction btw. I almost teared up myself watching you react so genuinely to the lyrics. Subbed.
I can recommend Dave - psycho. His album Psychodrama is build up like at therapy session, and shows the different sides to Dave and his environment growing up in south London.
The last verse was not in the original recording, which appears on the phenomenal album Psychodrama. I was stunned when I first saw this performance, because I thought it was the end the song, and then he came out with this new verse, which ties everything he's been rapping about to contemporary Britain, as if to silence all those in denial about racism's continued existence. Additionally, this song got playlisted on BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show (one of the most popular British radio shows), which attracted quite a bit of controversy, but the BBC did not give in to those who were complaining.
Boris quotes: “Working class men are ‘criminal’ and ‘hopeless’, “Lower income families produce ‘unloved’ children “, he compared Muslim women to “bank robbers” and “letterboxes,”, - “in fact, they have an almost Nigerian interest in money and gadgets of all kinds,”, he also said that gay men are “tank-topped bumboys”.”.... in short he’s a c u n t.
@@heidi4281 I feel you. Some of us are still reeling from the election of Trump. I think our piece of crap President is far worse than your Prime Minister. No disrespect meant to your comment.
You really need to include the context for those comments. Those 2 comments specifically were actually used to attack Tony Blair (and the Queen) for imperialism and the "white saviour" attitude. He said that Blair was probably hoping for ‘Watermelon smiles’ for ‘the big white chief’ in his ‘big white airplane’ when he touched down in Congo. He was pointing out that this is how Blair (and the Queen) see's these people and that Blair thinks that they/the UK are the saviours of black people. Mocking the elitist British mentality that we should be views as people for them to worship. It was the exact opposite of racism, if you actually read the article and not just pick out 3 words.
The first victim of the London Bridge attack has been named as Jack Merritt, a 25-year-old who worked for a programme aimed at improving prisoner rehabilitation. Merritt's death was confirmed by his father, David, who described him as a “champion for underdogs everywhere
I get goosebumps every single time I listen to it since Dave & his Team released it and I am white woman living in Europe - I can’t even imagine how deep some bars hit while you were listening to it.
The line about helping a woman cross the street, I always interpreted it as an attempt to help which is met with the woman walking away from you because she sees you as a threat, not accepting the help.
dave goes into more detail about grenfell tower on his song 'question time', but if you react to that, do a bit of research on brexit, the nhs and boris johnson lying about the brexit & the nhs. he wasn't even the prime minister then, theresa may was. if you watch a fails compilation of her then you'll also get some context into what he says about her.
Dave is amazing. He was asked to perform and he could have chosen one of his bangers but he wanted to perform this song. Jack Merritt in the video I believe was someone who worked to help people with rehabilitation in prison. Dave knew him because he helped Dave when his brother was in prison. Jack was killed along with the girl in the video last year at the terrorist attack in london. Dave won Album of the Year at the Brits that night. Check out Dave Blackbox he did it when he was 16 and he is now 22.
I love how much you love him!! Dave is lyrically the best rapper in the U.K. for me. Also in the U.K. there is a division between who understand the BLM movement and who don’t, it is a case of self education that sadly atm some can’t face. Thank you for your enlightening insight x
You are right Dave is a poet and his performance at the Brits went down a storm. His album is great too and won the Mercury prize. Glad you loved him as much as we do over this side of the pond too.
Windrush was the name of the ship many Caribbean's (most from Jamaica) travelled to the UK on in 1948, after the British government basically pleaded for folks to come and help with post-war regeneration of the country. They were invited with the lie that because their countries were part of the British Commonwealth, that they too were British (true) and that they would be welcomed and treated as such (lie). They became known as the Windrush Generation. Then this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrush_scandal In essence it was institutional racism on a massive and BLATANT scale! Bear in mind the link above is a really sanitized version of what happened, I have other deeper sources if you ever want to read, give me a shout 💖
He said my Grenfell victims still need accommodation. There was a massive block of flats that the government ignored and failed to maintain resulting in a massive fire and 71 people dying. Nobody from the government took responsibility and no charges were given out for the incompetence. Some family’s and victims still have no homes from the fire. Look it up smh
Importantly too, it was in a poor predominantly black area, opposite a rich primarily white area. They put cladding on the buildings to make them look nicer for the rich neighbourhood, but the cladding was super flammable. They failed to tell the fire department this too, so the fire foghters told residents to stay in their flats, where they should have been safe, and as a result they burned to death.
Dave released this song originally in his Psychodrama album but the original song only contained the first two verses, the third verse was totally unexpected and first heard in this performance. The two people he mentions are Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, were Cambridge University students who dedicated themselves to prison reform and rehabilitation. They were both course co-ordinators of a learning together scheme which brought people in higher education and offenders to 'learn together'. They were both attending a 'Learning Together' event where Usman Khan entered with a fake suicide vest, threatened to detonate it and then knifed several people. Jack Merritt and Dave knew each other because Dave's older brother, Christopher, was undergoing prisoner rehabilitation after being involved in the 2010 murder of Soften Belamouadden. Dave also refers to Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle of the British Royal Family, and how differently Meghan was treated in the media, in comparison to Kate, with Meghan being the first mixed race member of a Royal Family that presided over centuries of colonialism and slavery. The Grenfell Tower was an incident in 2017 where a tower block in West London broke out and killed 72 people. This happened because safety standards were skimped on so companies could save around £13,000 on safety cladding. The tower was located in a conservative (right-wing) council also house some of the most expensive housing. The council were accused of neglecting the minority-ethnic poorer residents. The hundreds of victims who lost their houses were not given long-term accommodation, and this incident has been used to highlight the neglect and inequality that is prevalent in the UK. The Windrush scandal was when many Caribbean people boarded ships that were set for Britain (the Caribbean was part of the Commonwealth) between 1948-1973. When they arrived, they were given British Citizenship and were free to permanently work and live in the UK. However, in 2012, UK government and non-gov sectors were tasked with ramping up the enforcement of Immigration controls. This 'Hostile Environment' legislation that was announced by the Government in 2012, made the UK unlivable for those without proper documentation. Many of the commonwealth citizens that arrived between 1948-1973 came on their parents passports and weren't given proper documentation, despite being given the right to live and work in the UK permanently. This lead to many Commonwealth citizens, who would've grown up in the UK for several decades, to be falsely deemed as 'Illegal Immigrants'' and the government restricted their access to housing, healthcare, bank accounts and driving licenses. This caused widespread condemnation for the Government and the Home Office. Victims of this scandal were promised compensation however, after three years, the Government compensation scheme has only made a handful of payments. However, this 'Hostile Environment' legislation that caused this scandal is still in place in 2020, even during the COVID-19 crisis. Independent reports have found that the Windrush scandal was not an accident, but the inevitable result of policies designed to make life impossible for those without the right papers. At the start of the third verse, Dave also described the PM, Boris Johnson as racist. This due to Boris Johnson writing columns for the Daily Telegraph in the 2000's, where he made many racist, homophobic, Islamophobic and sexist comments. Some comments include, and are not limited to: In a 2018 column for The Daily Telegraph relating to a burqa ban, he wrote that was "absolutely ridiculous" that "people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes" and that "If a constituent came to my MP’s surgery with her face obscured, I should feel fully entitled… to ask her to remove it so that I could talk to her properly. If a female student turned up at school or at a university lecture looking like a bank robber then ditto: those in authority should be allowed to converse openly with those that they are being asked to instruct." When he found out that 68% of Malaysian women are attending University, he stated "[Female students went to university because they] have got to find men to marry. " "It is said that the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies. " The word "Piccaninnies" is an extremely derogatory term. "No doubt the AK47s will fall silent, and the pangas will stop their hacking of human flesh, and the tribal warriors will all break out in watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down in his big white British taxpayer-funded bird. " He wrote this when Tony Blair, the then UK PM, visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, describing men of the DRC as having "watermelon smiles", when asked about this in his 2019 election campaign, he dismissed it as "satire", which it obviously isn't. ((Regaring Barack Obama)) "The part-Kenyan president [has an] ancestral dislike of the British empire - of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender. " The only evidence for this statement was the colour of Obama's skin. Using the word Nigerian as an insult, which racism was a by-product of offending young people "All the young people I know - ie those under 30 - are just as avaricious as we flinty Thatcherite yuppies of the 1980s in fact, they have an almost Nigerian interest in money and gadgets of all kinds. " Here, he is wanting to bring back colonisation of the whole of Africa, which was responsible for slavery "The best fate for Africa would be if the old colonial powers, or their citizens, scrambled once again in her direction; on the understanding that this time they will not be asked to feel guilty. " In 2000, Johnson said that a "bunch of black kids" made him “turn a hair”, and added: "If that is racial prejudice, then I am guilty." The outstanding thing though is that he, a blatant racist, was elected as Mayor of London (London being an extremely diverse city of the UK), Foreign Secretary (being responsible for UK foreign affairs, even though he is pro-colonialism) and is now the most powerful person in the UK, despite being a racist, islamophobic, sexist, pro-colonisation leader, which is all fact and quoted.
The grenfell was when a large tower block of apartments which caught on fire in a deprived area of London. And it was in 2017 when 72 people died sadly and most of the residents who lived there are still homeless to this day and the reason it’s set fire was because of poor construction because of the insulation I believe and tons of other counsel apartment blocks still have this poor insulation in it due to poor construction and could set fire any minute and the government have done nothing about these poorly made homes.
Just to clarify, the area where Grenfell is located, Kensington and Chelsea, isn't a deprived area. In fact, it's one of the richest areas of the UK. www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/kensington-and-chelsea-richest-area-in-uk-with-residents-earning-three-times-the-national-average-a4198796.html Because the rich neighbours weren't happy at seeing a grey council tower-block everytime they looked out their window, the Conservative council hired a private contractor to beautify the outside of it, so they put cladding on the outside, but used the cheap, flammable stuff, rather than the non-flammable stuff, because it cost a little bit more per panel. The council couldn't give a toss about the residents in Grenfell, not paying to repair the lifts and avoiding installing sprinklers in the building which would have probably saved more lives www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41230521
Grenfell is not in a deprived area, its in one of the most wealthy of not the wealthiest Borough in London if not Europe. It is a deprived block of flats i.e. community housing
Also, when Boris Johnson was mayor of London (he is now UK PM) he defunded fire service emergency responders and fire services were cut. The cheap cladding and lack of sprinklers and working elevators made the 24 storey block a Roman candle after a faulty fridge-freezer started an electrical fire. Many of the residents were POC and the impact on the local community was devastating. It remains in the skyline an empty, charred memorial to POC, immigrant and asylum seeker residents incinerated by a council and government that deny their role in the tragedy. The same flammable cladding is in many council tower blocks across the UK and there is fear that another Grenfell is likely to happen. The Grenfell Tower fire has been called "social murder" due the neglect of those who lived and died there - many are still homeless and have not been re-housed.
@@penelopemcconnell4231 it was labour who had over spent on the budget forcing the cuts. The cuts came far higher up. Suppose everyone loving in poverty is better then. The cladding on the building was to blame. Even all fire services wouldn't have been able to handle it as it was letting of cyanide gas.
Jack Merritt sadly passed away in the London Bridge Attack where he was stabbed to death at age 25 .Jack devoted his unfortunately short life to making young people who are in prison lives better and helping there families . Jack really helped out Dave’s brother.
Content about Grenfell: when Dave says ‘my grenfell victims still need accommodation’ he’s talking about the grenfell towers that got burnt down. This was a tragedy that occurred on the 14th June 2017 and still, to this day, no change has happened. This fire wouldn’t have even occured if the government had put more money into the cladding of the building. When this incident happened our priminister at the time ,Theresa May, provided no money, no help and little sympathy for the victims. I’m not sure if you’ve reacted to one of Stormzys Brit award performances but he shouted Theresa may at asking Theresa May where’s the money for grenfell? You think we just forgot about grenfell?’. They proabably have no care for these victims due to there backrounds and social status. Many of them came from black and south Asian backrounds.
Ive watched the original video like 3 or 4 times. Just realizing after you pointed out the juxtaposition of the black man in white clothes and the white man in black clothes, it occurred to me that from the start of the performance there were boxes within boxes with in boxes within boxes, and Jesus christ if that isn’t how they want it, everyone filed and sorted into their nice little box easy to control and shuffle around, easy to contain, and put a lid on. These words shatter that box and any perception that any sort of box is “ok”. I swear to god i swell with emotion and tears when i hear his words, this song, its not just his words but the words of countless peoples who were and are abused, and suffering. It makes me angry/sad/upset, so many more emotions cause white people think that that shit is in the past and everything is good now. dude! People are fucking suffering and dying now why is that so hard to fucking understand.
Does anyone have an American reaction video to this song where they talk about or acknowledge the 'black is so much deeper than just African American' line
Yeah I think that one is for the wider diaspora not really Americans, they wouldn’t really understand that black identity is so often framed as African American identity and leaves out the wider diaspora and Africans as they don’t see it from the outside looking in.
I was about to comment on one of your Stormzy reacts recommending this performance, but then this came on 😂 I'm so glad you enjoyed it, I was in tears when he did it!
Black is going to help a lady and have her walking off: old white ladies don’t like it when young black people offer to help with their shopping etc. I’m a small black female and this has happened more than once.
to be fair old white ladies don't like 'anyone' - I'm sure you get it more than me as a cis white male, but they shrink and spit when I approach them offering help too. Sod them frankly.
'Go Home' is referencing the government's anti-immigrant campaign where they sent vans plastered with 'go home' slogans to parts of the country with high immigrant populations
Winner of the Brit Awards BTW. For a long time British rap has been under the shadow of US acts, but lately they are really making strides. Boris has had a LONG journalist career writing racist articles, calling other races insulting "humorous" nicknames. He was selected by his OWN party to take the fall for an extremely unpopular act of division in leaving the European Union.
I think you'd enjoy some of the heavy hitters from the UK because they tend to have more substance in their lyrics, not just party tunes and hardcore gangster talk. You can start with Wretch 32, Avelino, J Hus & Akala. ps. It's better to pause at the end of the scheme so you can enjoy/appreciate the delivery as well lyrics. Nice vid tho! 👏
The queen is what we call a 'figurehead' in the UK. Foreigners love the royal family more than most of the UK tbh. The royal family helps to uphold the traditional view of what England is like- it helps represent our history and helps to draw in tourists and money but the queen doesn't actually have any real power over government unless they make a terrible mistake and only then does she have the power to step in.
This was a very powerful watch. I've watched many of these reaction videos to this performance as I think it is and will continue to be, the most important and iconic message for decades. You were honest and eloquent in your reaction.
I’ve come to these comments at the point you said “I’m assuming he writes his own raps” Dave writes all his raps and then produces everything behind that too he is a man that does his music on his own from scratch and it’s beautiful!
The Queen does have residual powers for example dissolution of Parliament, electing and removing members of government of her own choice i.e a prime minister. A law does not become law until it receives royal assent (signing it) and The queen has the power to declare war and peace under the Royal Prerogatives. Also deals with foreign affairs and ensures that other countries have a good relationship with the UK.
He's right but she doesn't exercise most of these powers. She can't just decide to remove someone against the will of the people as it would probably be suicide for the monarchy... meaning the monarchy's powers would be heavily reduced or abolished all together. So really she just does as she's told.
Loved your reaction and thoughts on this! I've seen this performance a few times over and over now but it seriously gets better every time. Real tears came. What a performance and lyrics.
Thank you for sharing the amazing hip hop culture we have here in the UK! Love all of your content, please keep making it (also more vids with your mum please she sounds awesome!)
I love the way you break down the lyrics. Clearly very intelligent too. Not just copying what was said but actually breaking it all down. Best American reacts channel along with Steve Knight
I enjoyed your reaction girl, you actually took time to really listen to the lyrics - Dave and other UK artists are so talented, you should defo check them out
The UK scene has always been lyrical, but nowadays we have a large number of artists of here that have exceptional lyricism. Wordplays, scheming all in context, whether it be social, or on trend. UK mainstream is like the US underground scene at this present time.
I really like you, I've watched a few of your reactions and love that you speak honestly and genuine. Your insights means you don't need to ramp up your reaction. You are an inspiration.
The other guy on the piano is his producer Fraser T Smith. There is a nice interview with him saying that while he was part of this performance, he was feeling the emotion while he was playing.
the bit you didn't catch at the end was about grenfell! it's an area in london where there was a fire back in 2017 in a tower block. the government had neglected that it was unsafe to live in and it was predominantly lower-income people living there! lots of non-white people basically because we know how systemic racism works! they still haven't been given accommodation to live in and are basically being neglected further by the gov! this was so lovely to watch you enjoy this performance so much. it deserves all the credit!
The Windrush generation is the hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans and other Caribbean natives that migrated to the UK after world war to help rebuild Britain. They are still treated as second rate citizens in a lot of cases. A lot of Jamaicans have family in the UK and u will notice that British music and slangs has a lot of Jamaican influence.
This was the best performance I've ever seen .I cried my eyes out when I seen it the first time..... also yeah Boris is like the British trump and one of the worst things I remember him saying is calling women that wear burkas letterboxes
I can see the emotion in your eyes as you listen to these, honestly some of the best reactions I have ever seen. Thanks for taking time out to check out uk rap culture and Im glad you think our lot are holding up the scene. Also I hope you did get into the stuff he was saying its super interesting and very shameful for us in the UK who dont agree with this racist agenda.
Your interpretation of this is the best on UA-cam 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 superb vlog and we love Dave in the UK irrespective of colour or religion etc... I can’t relate to what he says but it generates so much emotion. 👍🏼🇬🇧👍🏼🇬🇧👍🏼🇬🇧👍🏼🇬🇧
When he talked ab the Grenfell victims, he's talking about the victims of the Grenfell tower fire which was a block of flats and the victims were not properly supported and many are still battling poverty
![(AMERICAN FIRST REACTION!) U.K. RAPPER DAVE- BLACK [LIVE AT BRITS] THIS HIT ME HARD!! POWERFUL!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FZCM3tUA5C8/mqdefault.jpg)
![(AMERICAN FIRST REACTION!) U.K. RAPPER DAVE- BLACK [LIVE AT BRITS] THIS HIT ME HARD!! POWERFUL!](/img/tr.png)
Can't wait for you to see this one 🔥 Comment and SHARE this video🦋✨ LET'S GET 350 LIKES ON IT 👍🏾
Favour really you had t mention the piano. First,,,,, why,, any one can play ,,,,
Eva Maine stop trolling and go do something productive homie
ua-cam.com/video/ReY4yVkoDc4/v-deo.html
This is a great follow on to Dave’ performance- really shows the feeling in the uk right now. Definitely react to this!!
Kate is the wife of Prince William (Prince Harry’s older brother) she is white! Obviously Meghan is half black!
@@Favourreacts oof 😂😂
Jack Merritt was an activist . He came from a really wealthy background and went to Cambridge university...which is like saying he went to Harvard or Yale. He devoted his (sadly short) working life to working for improvements in prisoner rehabilitation and fairness in sentencing. He was known as a 'champion of underdogs everywhere'. He was killed at the end of 2019 in the London Bridge terrorist attack, and reportedly spent his last few moments trying to help the person who killed him by talking him out of it. Jack also had a personal relationship with Dave as he had helped Dav's brother in the past. Jack's parents were in the audience that night and they didn't know Dave was going to do that tribute to Jack. It's an extra verse that isn't on the studio version!
They say it's terrorist attack but we all know the truth, since he was helping people that wasnt treated fairly in prison he was killed by his own people or let's say government, because they need certain amount of people to be in prison but this dude is helping them to be released
Denz it was a terrorist attack the killer attacked a load of people on the bridge with a huge knife and jack happened to be there, jack tried to step in and stop the man but ended up getting injured and sadly died. So I don’t think it was targeted at him because the killer attacked random people first and he was only killed because he tried to stop it from happening
Denz it was a terrorist attack. A man from a terrorist group got out a knife targeting at other people and Jack tried to interfere
@@denz9734 Dude, take a deep breath, have a cup of tea, and reflect in just how ridiculous your statement is!
A) Jack, regardless if how well intentioned he was, was helping a handful of people get out of prison. At most. The government would barely be aware of him...if at all. His death has made Jack, and what he stood for way more known than it was before his death.
B) The motives of his attacker, and how that day went down are not confusing. They're not full of mystery. There's no conspiracy there. It was a terrorist attack performed by a nutter. That's all.
C) If the government were going to kill him, there are hundreds of more quiet, less suspicious, and quite frankly easier ways of doing it than faking a terror attack.
Again...just think for a few minutes man!
Jadie Munro actually Jack and the organisation he worked with were taking part in an event on offender rehabilitation with former inmates in a building by the London Bridge and that’s where the attack started and Jack unfortunately was killed. When the terrorist tried to leave the building people followed him in order to apprehend him, and that’s the footage from London Bridge.
Bless you m'deer. I'm a 72 year old white guy living in the UK, and until Dave and Stormzy came along, was not into rap, but the Brits Awards broadcast changed all that, Dave's performance, to me, was a lesson in British Black History, and it should be shown in all schools as part of the National Curriculum for History.
Watching you react, I saw a person who was seeing what I saw. Your eyes showed me a lot about you, even though you know little about the UK, you were feeling it just the same.
I would recommend reading "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race" it's a British anti-racism book where the author goes deep into British black history. If you're interested.
Bloody hell mate 72 bit young innit
Akala Natives is another brilliant read!
Will you're never too old to learn I have a friend called Malcolm Prior who comes out to performances and raps a little himself. It's lovely to see him enjoying life he's white and 83 years old..
Follow the black curriculum on instagram!
I was there at the Brit awards in February not in the pit but seated. I’d never heard of Dave but this was amazing to witness. The crowd (20,000 people) all stood up and applauded. Megan Markle (the wife of Prince Harry) was treated appallingly by the british media in comparison with Kate Middleton (wife or Prince William). Grenfell tower was an apartment block (similar to the projects in the states) that horrifically went up in flames killing 71 people and leaving 100s homeless due to cladding that was put over it to make the building look more appealing to their multimillionaire neighbours. Jack Meritt and Saskia Jones were stabbed to death in a terrorist attacked on London Bridge. He was a course coordinator for Learning Together, a prisoners’ rehabilitation programme and was working with Dave’s Brother. The Windrush generation is a large group of people that came to the UK from the Caribbean some as children some adults to work in healthcare etc in the 1960s, but recently and mistakenly been told they have no longer have a right to live here, even though they were welcomed and spent most of there life in this country.
The Windrush people started coming to the UK from 1948, with the '50s seeing the most arrive. It began to slow down in the '60s and was stopped in 1971.
I couldn't put it better myself
All truth👏🏽
Yep in The 1940s because we'd lost so many men in the WWII we desperately needed those people to come over from the Caribbean to take up jobs we just didn't have enough people to do. Especially in the newly formed NHS.
These people at the time were technically still British citizens.
However many of the children that came with them travelled (perfectly legally) on their parents passports.
Also many children stayed home with grandparents and didn't join their parents until they were settled and had set up a home for them to country.
In 1971 the immigration act granted all of those who had come over as adults on British passports indefinite leave to stay but meant those that came after had to gain new more complicated permissions.
What was not realised at the time was that the indefinite leave to stay did not include these children. They would have needed to go and register individually and gain documentation at the time.
Also in 2010 the British Home office destroyed all the landing cards of the people arriving from the Caribbean (there by destroying evidence of their children coming with them) in the late 2010s there was a very hostile attitude to anyone perceived as an "illegal immigrant" and a big push to be seen as cracking down on immigration in general. As a result people who had been living, working and raising their families in Britain (some for over 60-70 years) were being told that they were no longer and indeed never had been British citizens.
Mostly because there wasn't enough documentation to prove they came before 71 or that their parents did.
Let's be clear they didn't have these documents because the British government firstly lead them and their parents to believe they didn't need to and secondly because the British government had destroyed the evidence that proved they had a right to stay.
People in their 70s and 80s who had called Britain their home for as long as they could remember were being threatened with deportation to countries they last lived in as babies.
They'd paid taxes, worked hard, raised families even had grandchildren and great grandchildren born here and they had that shit sprung on them out of the blue. Appeals were so difficult and long winded that people were out of the country before they could ask "What the hell just happened?"
Those still in the country couldn't claim benifits, list their right to work, couldn't claim pensions or use the NHS (bear in mind these were people who had been paying into this system all their lives)
Yet until the press got hold of it and it became a national scandal the government were happy to continue mistreating its own citizens.
So yeah you gotta love the Tories.
BTW you Americans might be interested in the information that Boris Johnson was actually born in New York and until 2016 had joint British and American citizenship.
So something to be proud of there New York. Trump and BoJo. Well done.
Facts. #FUCKBORIS
"the least racist is still racist" that line gets me every the time cause racism has become normalised in so many different situations.
Arguably the best line and so true, we have this veneer of politeness that people put on to cover up the racism below. Watching Krishnan Guru Murphy interview the Met Police commander on C4 News recently he said something like "in addition to being instutionally racist, are you also institutionally in denial"?
That was a Trump quote, a shining example of his stunning stupidity and lack of awareness! He's the only person who could say it and be unaware of the implications, orange buffoon.
Dave is 21... Let that sink in
Unreal talent such an amazing artist I can’t wait to see how much more he grows
He is crazy talented
Dave is racist
@@Super4026 Shut the fuck up.
@@Super4026 Shut it prick
The bar “trying to help a woman cross the street to have her walking off” is based on some people’s perception of black youth. Suggesting that he approaches the lady to offer aid and she walks off, automatically assuming he has sinister motives.
Everything dave has made is incredible. The guy is a genius and incredibly deep for such a young man.
Also grenfell and windrush are absolute scandalous examples of how heartless our government is.
Definitely a genius. The whole concept of psychodrama is genius, let alone the music and verse in it.
Jack merrit was a civil rights activist who died defending people during a terrorist attack he was stabbed to death defending people at the london bridge terror attack.
Lol Duppy u should be called Dippy everything you have said about Jack Merrit is false May I recommend you read the actual news about him then perhaps rewrite the truth instead of your made up nonsense..Thanks in advance 👍
Also he helped Davies brother when he was facing prison so he was dead to Dave.
Jayne Elizabeth Pickering who is Davies?
@@mixedonions would you like to validate your claims or?
Duppy I’m waiting for you to read the article properly then get back to everyone
Boris Johnson has made several racist comments over the years, I don’t even want to say them because they’re disgusting but you can literally search 10 times Boris Johnson was racist on google and they will come up. Hope this helps ❤️ love your reaction.
"With their water melon smiles"
Boris Johnson would be more at home in 1820. Not a powerful world leader in 2020.
You are absolutely correct, he wrote it in an article mocking Tony Blair for behaving like a white colonialist. It was a satirical article that deliberately evoked colonial language.
and his father supports him
Henry E whatever the backstory is I don’t believe anything he has said is appropriate or right in any way. Referring to women who wear burkhas as ‘letterboxes’ or black people as having ‘watermelon smiles’ is never okay. He should have no right in making horrible comments such as these.
Henry E “lefts” don’t twist, they are very open minded people who see every side of the story sir. Whereas many (no all) but many “rights” are incredibly close-minded and cant see the bigger picture.
I was lucky enough to meet Jack when visiting my brother in prison at one of his rehab programmes called “learning together” from our brief encounter I could tell he had a heart of gold. I’ve never met someone with so much faith and hope in others no matter the circumstances. His death really touched me and many others knowing we’d lost someone who was happy by making others happy. RIP bro fly high.
RIP Jack he came form a wonderful family judging by his fathers actions too..
I’m a grown ass middle aged white guy from the UK and I cried watching you react to this - particularly your disbelief at the “setup” - that it was ok for Dave to do this on a nationally televised event - despite all of our countries having real issues, the difference between what’s considered ok is astounding. Keep doing what you do, it’s pure gold.
Yeah I like this girl👏🏽, as soon as the fingers went up for Boris I pressed subscribe real fast😂. Respects from the UK sis ❤️
Dave is one of the best lyricist to ever hit the uk ❌🧢
"trynna help a lady cross the street to have her walking off" is referring to when you offer an old lady help crossing the road and she doesn't accept your help because her generation is more racist. or even when trying to help a mother with a young child, they perceive him as a threat because he's a young black man and avoid him. you know it happens to girls, too
Mind of a Fangirl they cross the Rd before he gets to them
Ive seen it so many times and its happened to me before, I also find it funny when women get scared and clutch their purse when they see me because my trainers, Moncler or Canada Goose jacket alone is worth more then their whole outfit including the contents of their purse lool
That doesn't just happen too black people, being a young white lad that happens too me, not everything is pure racist
@@2sik_UK Thats true, young guys of all races can get a bad rap
@@TheNicoliyah innit, its sad these guys see race problems every where they turn it exaggerates the problem in certain ways, me and my pals used too be watched in shops and all its standard for young lads many thing this guys on about painting young people isues as black issues just because he's black
The studio version doesnt include the last verse . Dave wrote that especially for the brit awards performance.
Some context.... Jack Merritt was a prison reform campaigner who was killed in a terrorist attack. Grenfell is a building that burnt down because it was covered in cheap cladding to make it look more shiny to the rich, mostly white, residents nearby. 3000 buildings in the UK are still covered in flammable cladding, the lack of action and the lack of help for the victims shows the structural racism that keeps people in poverty and even endangers their lives. The Windrush generation refers to migrants from the Caribbean that came to the UK in the 1950s and 60s, they came here voluntarily for work. They were/are British citizens because many were/are from nations Britain colonised, but they faced huge amounts of racism when they came here. Recently some of them were told they had to go back to the countries they migrated from despite having lived here for decades, some were actually deported, and it became a huge scandal in the press (it had actually been going on for some time) and it forced a government U-turn and apology. Britain was obviously a key actor in the trade of enslaved Africans but there weren't plantations here, and apart from a few domestic servants here and there of the very rich, enslaved Africans stayed in the Caribbean and Americas. There was also never a formalised legal segregation as such, although there was huge informal segregation and discrimination was not illegal for a very long time. The Bristol bus boycott is just one example of the anti-racist/ civil rights struggle that was happening here at the same time as that of the US. Despite this, the same racist attitudes pervade here that do so in the US, many black people who live here are the descendants of enslaved Africans via the Caribbean, and structural racism in education, the prison system and the police is a huge problem. Our cops don't have as many guns but they still manage to kill black people in police custody and when they do shoot unarmed black men the media paints those victims as gang members etc. As others have said, it would be good maybe to react to an Akala video. Also everyone should read Akala's book Natives if they wanna find out more about the history of racism in Britain, and Peter Fryer's book Staying Power to find out more about the history of black people in Britain.
Love this. Not sure if you wrote this and I missed it but the goverment at the time actually invited the windrush generation not sure on the numbers but most were invited here to work in hospitals. Then years later got fucked over.
To add to this, Theresa May (former PM) was involved in a procedure that actually removed landing cards of Windrush migrants while she was Home Secretary (the equivalent of Sec of State in the US?). www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-who-destroyed-the-windrush-landing-cards . While I wouldn't say this would be the sole thing leading to mass deportations, it's certainly one piece of evidence that people would want to have on hand.
There's a pretty horrible history regarding this immigration. In 1948 they passed a law that made it easier for commonwealth members of countries to "return home" to the UK to help rebuild the nation and to fill in jobs. But there were some letters that suggested that they basically were not expecting people from countries like Jamaica and India to start moving over, with some trying to divert the boats to others countries. In later years they even restricted who could come based on what links they had with the country via revisions to the bill. The people that did move over were by law British citizens via the Commonwealth, so basically hopped on a boat and got a job as soon as they landed. Due to the fact that there weren't so many documents like Passports to verify who was travelling, people who have spent their whole lives in the UK are now being asked to go back to countries they have never lived in - it's somewhat like some cases for "Dreamers" in the US.
163 people have died in police custody in England and Wales over the past 10 years. 140 were white, 13 were black and 10 were other ethnicities.
With all due respect, we do not have the issues the US has with our police.
the wind rush generation were mostly Jamaican people who came to the UK after WWII to help repair the economy. The government ‘accidentally’ destroyed/lost their documents, and now they’re trying to deport them and their families because they don’t have them.
I think it's important to point out that those Jamaican people came to the UK at the invitation of the UK government. They weren't immigrants. They were professionals and working class people brought over to fill the gap in the work force left by all the people who died during WW2. Germany had bombed the crap out of Britain so a) the infrastructure was destroyed and b) the work force was depleted. The issue now is, as 'ur mum' states that the UK government somehow 'lost' those documents, landing cards, and it was then the descendants of those original people who came over who are now in trouble..
So we're talking about people who came to the UK when they were babies/school children and are now mostly in their 60's and 70's who were under the threat of deportation. Some already deported, some were in detention centres. The UK did eventually attempt to fix this after immense public pressure but there is still a long way to go, hence why it's so great to see people with huge platform and influence to still be applying the pressure.
Sorry for the essay. This was a great reaction btw. I almost teared up myself watching you react so genuinely to the lyrics. Subbed.
They were from all over the Caribbean, not just Jamaica and many parts of Africa
People from all over the Caribbean not just Jamaica. Thank you
I’m so glad an American admits our rap artists are better , ours spits facts on stageeee
Stormzy performance was great. It was a medley of hits definitely worth checking out.
But Glastonbury was even better...
louise stephens That concert was epic!
Hard to go after that but
He said Grenfell victims which was a building which burnt down and left thousands of ppl homeless and they still need housing
I can recommend Dave - psycho. His album Psychodrama is build up like at therapy session, and shows the different sides to Dave and his environment growing up in south London.
The last verse was not in the original recording, which appears on the phenomenal album Psychodrama. I was stunned when I first saw this performance, because I thought it was the end the song, and then he came out with this new verse, which ties everything he's been rapping about to contemporary Britain, as if to silence all those in denial about racism's continued existence.
Additionally, this song got playlisted on BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show (one of the most popular British radio shows), which attracted quite a bit of controversy, but the BBC did not give in to those who were complaining.
Should rewind a little after you pause cos you’re missing bits.
Boris Johnson referred to black people as having 'watermelon smiles' and called them 'Pickaninnies'
Boris quotes: “Working class men are ‘criminal’ and ‘hopeless’, “Lower income families produce ‘unloved’ children “, he compared Muslim women to “bank robbers” and “letterboxes,”, - “in fact, they have an almost Nigerian interest in money and gadgets of all kinds,”, he also said that gay men are “tank-topped bumboys”.”.... in short he’s a c u n t.
@@spamvicious still can't believe how many people in our country actually voted for that utter piece of dirt
@@heidi4281 I feel you. Some of us are still reeling from the election of Trump. I think our piece of crap President is far worse than your Prime Minister. No disrespect meant to your comment.
Heidi he also called Muslim women letter boxes
You really need to include the context for those comments. Those 2 comments specifically were actually used to attack Tony Blair (and the Queen) for imperialism and the "white saviour" attitude.
He said that Blair was probably hoping for ‘Watermelon smiles’ for ‘the big white chief’ in his ‘big white airplane’ when he touched down in Congo. He was pointing out that this is how Blair (and the Queen) see's these people and that Blair thinks that they/the UK are the saviours of black people. Mocking the elitist British mentality that we should be views as people for them to worship.
It was the exact opposite of racism, if you actually read the article and not just pick out 3 words.
This performance brings tears to my eyes. There’s very little to be proud of Britain for, but our music really does give me pride.
What about in ww2 were if we gave in the war would be over in Europe and we probably would be here if it wasn't for us brits
The first victim of the London Bridge attack has been named as Jack Merritt, a 25-year-old who worked for a programme aimed at improving prisoner rehabilitation. Merritt's death was confirmed by his father, David, who described him as a “champion for underdogs everywhere
also Jack Merritt was trying to help Dave's brother as well, so they knee eachother quite well
I get goosebumps every single time I listen to it since Dave & his Team released it and I am white woman living in Europe - I can’t even imagine how deep some bars hit while you were listening to it.
The line about helping a woman cross the street, I always interpreted it as an attempt to help which is met with the woman walking away from you because she sees you as a threat, not accepting the help.
Great reaction. You see like an intelligent young lady. If you liked this you should react to Akala - Fire in the booth part 1. You'll love it.
PART 4! Though all Akala is good
Just do 'em all 🔥🔥🔥👍
His bringing truths to the surface actually made me cry when i watched it his absolutely on point. Proud he did this so talented 🥰🥰 Uk 🇬🇧 💙
dave goes into more detail about grenfell tower on his song 'question time', but if you react to that, do a bit of research on brexit, the nhs and boris johnson lying about the brexit & the nhs. he wasn't even the prime minister then, theresa may was. if you watch a fails compilation of her then you'll also get some context into what he says about her.
This song makes me cry every time and I’m not even black because you can hear the emotion and passion in Daves voice. Ugh I love him
Yesss thanks for doin this one, cant wait to see it...i got my reminder set girl ✌🏽x
Dave is amazing. He was asked to perform and he could have chosen one of his bangers but he wanted to perform this song. Jack Merritt in the video I believe was someone who worked to help people with rehabilitation in prison. Dave knew him because he helped Dave when his brother was in prison. Jack was killed along with the girl in the video last year at the terrorist attack in london. Dave won Album of the Year at the Brits that night. Check out Dave Blackbox he did it when he was 16 and he is now 22.
I love how much you love him!! Dave is lyrically the best rapper in the U.K. for me. Also in the U.K. there is a division between who understand the BLM movement and who don’t, it is a case of self education that sadly atm some can’t face. Thank you for your enlightening insight x
The blacker the Berry the sweeter the juice is a line from 2pac that he's referencing
And a Kendrick track
I think we got that bit..it was the next part
That term was b4 2pac to. Just an old saying.
Always go back after you pause for a comment then you won't miss half the bars and message😊
You are right Dave is a poet and his performance at the Brits went down a storm. His album is great too and won the Mercury prize. Glad you loved him as much as we do over this side of the pond too.
Windrush was the name of the ship many Caribbean's (most from Jamaica) travelled to the UK on in 1948, after the British government basically pleaded for folks to come and help with post-war regeneration of the country. They were invited with the lie that because their countries were part of the British Commonwealth, that they too were British (true) and that they would be welcomed and treated as such (lie). They became known as the Windrush Generation. Then this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrush_scandal In essence it was institutional racism on a massive and BLATANT scale!
Bear in mind the link above is a really sanitized version of what happened, I have other deeper sources if you ever want to read, give me a shout 💖
You’re one of deepest reactors I’ve ever seen...so intellectual in your thinking and have an in-depth knowledge on what this song is about
He said my Grenfell victims still need accommodation. There was a massive block of flats that the government ignored and failed to maintain resulting in a massive fire and 71 people dying. Nobody from the government took responsibility and no charges were given out for the incompetence. Some family’s and victims still have no homes from the fire. Look it up smh
Importantly too, it was in a poor predominantly black area, opposite a rich primarily white area.
They put cladding on the buildings to make them look nicer for the rich neighbourhood, but the cladding was super flammable.
They failed to tell the fire department this too, so the fire foghters told residents to stay in their flats, where they should have been safe, and as a result they burned to death.
Alright, no need to "smh" at the end... you can't blame her for not knowing. 🙄
izzie erm I said smh to the government not her lol but ok “Izzie”
@@omarireid1814 ah okay, my bad! 😂
Dave released this song originally in his Psychodrama album but the original song only contained the first two verses, the third verse was totally unexpected and first heard in this performance.
The two people he mentions are Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, were Cambridge University students who dedicated themselves to prison reform and rehabilitation. They were both course co-ordinators of a learning together scheme which brought people in higher education and offenders to 'learn together'. They were both attending a 'Learning Together' event where Usman Khan entered with a fake suicide vest, threatened to detonate it and then knifed several people. Jack Merritt and Dave knew each other because Dave's older brother, Christopher, was undergoing prisoner rehabilitation after being involved in the 2010 murder of Soften Belamouadden.
Dave also refers to Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle of the British Royal Family, and how differently Meghan was treated in the media, in comparison to Kate, with Meghan being the first mixed race member of a Royal Family that presided over centuries of colonialism and slavery.
The Grenfell Tower was an incident in 2017 where a tower block in West London broke out and killed 72 people. This happened because safety standards were skimped on so companies could save around £13,000 on safety cladding. The tower was located in a conservative (right-wing) council also house some of the most expensive housing. The council were accused of neglecting the minority-ethnic poorer residents. The hundreds of victims who lost their houses were not given long-term accommodation, and this incident has been used to highlight the neglect and inequality that is prevalent in the UK.
The Windrush scandal was when many Caribbean people boarded ships that were set for Britain (the Caribbean was part of the Commonwealth) between 1948-1973. When they arrived, they were given British Citizenship and were free to permanently work and live in the UK. However, in 2012, UK government and non-gov sectors were tasked with ramping up the enforcement of Immigration controls. This 'Hostile Environment' legislation that was announced by the Government in 2012, made the UK unlivable for those without proper documentation. Many of the commonwealth citizens that arrived between 1948-1973 came on their parents passports and weren't given proper documentation, despite being given the right to live and work in the UK permanently. This lead to many Commonwealth citizens, who would've grown up in the UK for several decades, to be falsely deemed as 'Illegal Immigrants'' and the government restricted their access to housing, healthcare, bank accounts and driving licenses. This caused widespread condemnation for the Government and the Home Office. Victims of this scandal were promised compensation however, after three years, the Government compensation scheme has only made a handful of payments. However, this 'Hostile Environment' legislation that caused this scandal is still in place in 2020, even during the COVID-19 crisis. Independent reports have found that the Windrush scandal was not an accident, but the inevitable result of policies designed to make life impossible for those without the right papers.
At the start of the third verse, Dave also described the PM, Boris Johnson as racist. This due to Boris Johnson writing columns for the Daily Telegraph in the 2000's, where he made many racist, homophobic, Islamophobic and sexist comments. Some comments include, and are not limited to:
In a 2018 column for The Daily Telegraph relating to a burqa ban, he wrote that was "absolutely ridiculous" that "people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes" and that "If a constituent came to my MP’s surgery with her face obscured, I should feel fully entitled… to ask her to remove it so that I could talk to her properly. If a female student turned up at school or at a university lecture looking like a bank robber then ditto: those in authority should be allowed to converse openly with those that they are being asked to instruct."
When he found out that 68% of Malaysian women are attending University, he stated "[Female students went to university because they] have got to find men to marry.
"
"It is said that the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies.
" The word "Piccaninnies" is an extremely derogatory term.
"No doubt the AK47s will fall silent, and the pangas will stop their hacking of human flesh, and the tribal warriors will all break out in watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down in his big white British taxpayer-funded bird.
" He wrote this when Tony Blair, the then UK PM, visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, describing men of the DRC as having "watermelon smiles", when asked about this in his 2019 election campaign, he dismissed it as "satire", which it obviously isn't.
((Regaring Barack Obama)) "The part-Kenyan president [has an] ancestral dislike of the British empire - of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender.
" The only evidence for this statement was the colour of Obama's skin.
Using the word Nigerian as an insult, which racism was a by-product of offending young people "All the young people I know - ie those under 30 - are just as avaricious as we flinty Thatcherite yuppies of the 1980s in fact, they have an almost Nigerian interest in money and gadgets of all kinds.
"
Here, he is wanting to bring back colonisation of the whole of Africa, which was responsible for slavery "The best fate for Africa would be if the old colonial powers, or their citizens, scrambled once again in her direction; on the understanding that this time they will not be asked to feel guilty.
"
In 2000, Johnson said that a "bunch of black kids" made him “turn a hair”, and added:
"If that is racial prejudice, then I am guilty."
The outstanding thing though is that he, a blatant racist, was elected as Mayor of London (London being an extremely diverse city of the UK), Foreign Secretary (being responsible for UK foreign affairs, even though he is pro-colonialism) and is now the most powerful person in the UK, despite being a racist, islamophobic, sexist, pro-colonisation leader, which is all fact and quoted.
The grenfell was when a large tower block of apartments which caught on fire in a deprived area of London. And it was in 2017 when 72 people died sadly and most of the residents who lived there are still homeless to this day and the reason it’s set fire was because of poor construction because of the insulation I believe and tons of other counsel apartment blocks still have this poor insulation in it due to poor construction and could set fire any minute and the government have done nothing about these poorly made homes.
Just to clarify, the area where Grenfell is located, Kensington and Chelsea, isn't a deprived area. In fact, it's one of the richest areas of the UK. www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/kensington-and-chelsea-richest-area-in-uk-with-residents-earning-three-times-the-national-average-a4198796.html Because the rich neighbours weren't happy at seeing a grey council tower-block everytime they looked out their window, the Conservative council hired a private contractor to beautify the outside of it, so they put cladding on the outside, but used the cheap, flammable stuff, rather than the non-flammable stuff, because it cost a little bit more per panel. The council couldn't give a toss about the residents in Grenfell, not paying to repair the lifts and avoiding installing sprinklers in the building which would have probably saved more lives www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41230521
Grenfell is not in a deprived area, its in one of the most wealthy of not the wealthiest Borough in London if not Europe. It is a deprived block of flats i.e. community housing
Also, when Boris Johnson was mayor of London (he is now UK PM) he defunded fire service emergency responders and fire services were cut. The cheap cladding and lack of sprinklers and working elevators made the 24 storey block a Roman candle after a faulty fridge-freezer started an electrical fire. Many of the residents were POC and the impact on the local community was devastating. It remains in the skyline an empty, charred memorial to POC, immigrant and asylum seeker residents incinerated by a council and government that deny their role in the tragedy. The same flammable cladding is in many council tower blocks across the UK and there is fear that another Grenfell is likely to happen. The Grenfell Tower fire has been called "social murder" due the neglect of those who lived and died there - many are still homeless and have not been re-housed.
@@penelopemcconnell4231 it was labour who had over spent on the budget forcing the cuts. The cuts came far higher up. Suppose everyone loving in poverty is better then. The cladding on the building was to blame. Even all fire services wouldn't have been able to handle it as it was letting of cyanide gas.
You need to rewind a few secs every time you pause because as much as you caught you also missed some.. More power to you tho, stay shining ✊🏾
He didn’t mean black people trading themselves. He meant the whites named various parts of Africa based on what they traded the most.
Black people sold black people...
AKindChap and this comment is not needed or relevant.
AKindChap and? Is that supposed to justify anything that was done to us
@@stayforthepeelpronpls4774 yeah it is ☠
I think she realised that, in fact I only clicked fully when she said it. Gold, ivory and people as commodities to be bought and sold
Jack Merritt sadly passed away in the London Bridge Attack where he was stabbed to death at age 25 .Jack devoted his unfortunately short life to making young people who are in prison lives better and helping there families . Jack really helped out Dave’s brother.
Stormzy’s 2018 Brit award performance is amazing and he calls out the prime minister at that time -Theresa May, it’s defo worth watching!💕
Thank you girl xx
Love you
Content about Grenfell: when Dave says ‘my grenfell victims still need accommodation’ he’s talking about the grenfell towers that got burnt down. This was a tragedy that occurred on the 14th June 2017 and still, to this day, no change has happened. This fire wouldn’t have even occured if the government had put more money into the cladding of the building. When this incident happened our priminister at the time ,Theresa May, provided no money, no help and little sympathy for the victims. I’m not sure if you’ve reacted to one of Stormzys Brit award performances but he shouted Theresa may at asking Theresa May where’s the money for grenfell? You think we just forgot about grenfell?’. They proabably have no care for these victims due to there backrounds and social status. Many of them came from black and south Asian backrounds.
Ive watched the original video like 3 or 4 times. Just realizing after you pointed out the juxtaposition of the black man in white clothes and the white man in black clothes, it occurred to me that from the start of the performance there were boxes within boxes with in boxes within boxes, and Jesus christ if that isn’t how they want it, everyone filed and sorted into their nice little box easy to control and shuffle around, easy to contain, and put a lid on. These words shatter that box and any perception that any sort of box is “ok”. I swear to god i swell with emotion and tears when i hear his words, this song, its not just his words but the words of countless peoples who were and are abused, and suffering. It makes me angry/sad/upset, so many more emotions cause white people think that that shit is in the past and everything is good now. dude! People are fucking suffering and dying now why is that so hard to fucking understand.
Does anyone have an American reaction video to this song where they talk about or acknowledge the 'black is so much deeper than just African American' line
agreed- seen quite a few but i don’t think it hits as hard as an american than it does as a brit
Yeah I think that one is for the wider diaspora not really Americans, they wouldn’t really understand that black identity is so often framed as African American identity and leaves out the wider diaspora and Africans as they don’t see it from the outside looking in.
I was about to comment on one of your Stormzy reacts recommending this performance, but then this came on 😂 I'm so glad you enjoyed it, I was in tears when he did it!
Black is going to help a lady and have her walking off: old white ladies don’t like it when young black people offer to help with their shopping etc. I’m a small black female and this has happened more than once.
to be fair old white ladies don't like 'anyone' - I'm sure you get it more than me as a cis white male, but they shrink and spit when I approach them offering help too. Sod them frankly.
lmaoo, liked the video instantly when you threw the fingers up at boris, as a mixed-race british female i appreciate your support!!!!!
Check Dave's Twitter and he recently tweeted some of the things Boris Johnson said about black people
The pain you feel on each bar as he explains a new idea is incredible. Thank you for an amazing video.
'Go Home' is referencing the government's anti-immigrant campaign where they sent vans plastered with 'go home' slogans to parts of the country with high immigrant populations
You’re the first reaction video to recognise the significance of where this was performed! Thank you✊🏾
Winner of the Brit Awards BTW. For a long time British rap has been under the shadow of US acts, but lately they are really making strides. Boris has had a LONG journalist career writing racist articles, calling other races insulting "humorous" nicknames. He was selected by his OWN party to take the fall for an extremely unpopular act of division in leaving the European Union.
I was waiting for you to drop a tear...the performance was a MASSIVE movement! Glad you enjoyed it! You cam now go and look into UK black history x
Jack was a white man who helped dave and his family when they was going through bad times
I think you'd enjoy some of the heavy hitters from the UK because they tend to have more substance in their lyrics, not just party tunes and hardcore gangster talk. You can start with Wretch 32, Avelino, J Hus & Akala.
ps. It's better to pause at the end of the scheme so you can enjoy/appreciate the delivery as well lyrics. Nice vid tho! 👏
Defo the best depth real reaction yet! Thanks 👌👏🔥
2:12 OH FRCKIN SHEIN best part
I can’t watch this video ever without tearing up. Dave is a legend at only recently turned 22.
The queen is what we call a 'figurehead' in the UK. Foreigners love the royal family more than most of the UK tbh. The royal family helps to uphold the traditional view of what England is like- it helps represent our history and helps to draw in tourists and money but the queen doesn't actually have any real power over government unless they make a terrible mistake and only then does she have the power to step in.
This was a very powerful watch. I've watched many of these reaction videos to this performance as I think it is and will continue to be, the most important and iconic message for decades. You were honest and eloquent in your reaction.
I’ve come to these comments at the point you said “I’m assuming he writes his own raps” Dave writes all his raps and then produces everything behind that too he is a man that does his music on his own from scratch and it’s beautiful!
React to Akala-Fire in the Booth Part 4, he's a dope DnB MC that's also an activist and lecturer.
Oh yeah he drops that Grenfell families are still homeless 3 years after the fire. every line is deep
The Queen does have residual powers for example dissolution of Parliament, electing and removing members of government of her own choice i.e a prime minister. A law does not become law until it receives royal assent (signing it) and The queen has the power to declare war and peace under the Royal Prerogatives. Also deals with foreign affairs and ensures that other countries have a good relationship with the UK.
He's right but she doesn't exercise most of these powers. She can't just decide to remove someone against the will of the people as it would probably be suicide for the monarchy... meaning the monarchy's powers would be heavily reduced or abolished all together. So really she just does as she's told.
@@charleneraymond4036 Article on the little-known powers of the monarch: pitchforkcosmonaut.org/britains-oxymoronic-democratic-monarchy/
Loved your reaction and thoughts on this! I've seen this performance a few times over and over now but it seriously gets better every time. Real tears came. What a performance and lyrics.
Loved your reactions! Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work :)
Thank you for sharing the amazing hip hop culture we have here in the UK! Love all of your content, please keep making it (also more vids with your mum please she sounds awesome!)
So deep. I am so proud of these young black british men. They are eloquent and educated. Loved your reaction
Thank you for reacting on it! After requesting it on your earliest video.
Today is 72 years ago that The Windrush generation came to the UK & defo UK rap has been ahead of the US scene in the last 5-7 years
You come across so thoughtful and genuine.
This reaction moved me to tears! So beautiful and thoughtful.
I'm white British. Working class. Not the same. This song is brilliant. My accent is judged here. Obviously not the same.
I love the way you break down the lyrics. Clearly very intelligent too. Not just copying what was said but actually breaking it all down. Best American reacts channel along with Steve Knight
Love this reaction.. new subscriber from across the pond! 👋🏼🇬🇧
I enjoyed your reaction girl, you actually took time to really listen to the lyrics - Dave and other UK artists are so talented, you should defo check them out
The UK scene has always been lyrical, but nowadays we have a large number of artists of here that have exceptional lyricism. Wordplays, scheming all in context, whether it be social, or on trend. UK mainstream is like the US underground scene at this present time.
you analysed the song so well omg👏🏽
I really like you, I've watched a few of your reactions and love that you speak honestly and genuine. Your insights means you don't need to ramp up your reaction. You are an inspiration.
Beautiful and honest reaction! Please cover more Dave! Can’t wait to watch more!
The other guy on the piano is his producer Fraser T Smith. There is a nice interview with him saying that while he was part of this performance, he was feeling the emotion while he was playing.
I love watching Americans react to our music and culture. These videos are so class. Big up Favour
the bit you didn't catch at the end was about grenfell! it's an area in london where there was a fire back in 2017 in a tower block. the government had neglected that it was unsafe to live in and it was predominantly lower-income people living there! lots of non-white people basically because we know how systemic racism works! they still haven't been given accommodation to live in and are basically being neglected further by the gov! this was so lovely to watch you enjoy this performance so much. it deserves all the credit!
The Windrush generation is the hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans and other Caribbean natives that migrated to the UK after world war to help rebuild Britain. They are still treated as second rate citizens in a lot of cases. A lot of Jamaicans have family in the UK and u will notice that British music and slangs has a lot of Jamaican influence.
This was the best performance I've ever seen .I cried my eyes out when I seen it the first time..... also yeah Boris is like the British trump and one of the worst things I remember him saying is calling women that wear burkas letterboxes
The other guy on piano is Fraser T Smith. A producer who has worked with many in the uk scene including Dave on the psychodrama album
I can see the emotion in your eyes as you listen to these, honestly some of the best reactions I have ever seen. Thanks for taking time out to check out uk rap culture and Im glad you think our lot are holding up the scene.
Also I hope you did get into the stuff he was saying its super interesting and very shameful for us in the UK who dont agree with this racist agenda.
it o beautiful seeing african-americans get so much out of this performance
Definitely give Question Time a listen/watch. Dave has been doing this for time and you can really see how long this Grenfell stuff goes back.
Your interpretation of this is the best on UA-cam 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 superb vlog and we love Dave in the UK irrespective of colour or religion etc... I can’t relate to what he says but it generates so much emotion. 👍🏼🇬🇧👍🏼🇬🇧👍🏼🇬🇧👍🏼🇬🇧
I loved that first smile you made when you heard the first line
When he talked ab the Grenfell victims, he's talking about the victims of the Grenfell tower fire which was a block of flats and the victims were not properly supported and many are still battling poverty