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In episode two, Qanita Lilla speaks with rapper and social activist, Jameel3DN. Jameel is the artist behind the incredible song, “The art of Black,” composed for With Opened Mouths: The Podcast. They speak about his life journey, overcoming intergenerational obstacles, developing his voice as a Griot (storyteller) and reaching an understanding of the collective good.
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Tap or click on “Transcript” under each track to read or download the full transcript of each audio commentary.
[Intro]
Protect the fold
Yeah yeah
Protect the Fold
Protect the Fold
[Verse 1]
As we fight to be heard
Black bodies in the earth
Creators of culture
Disconnected from birth
So we let them sell us worth
Sold us fables and it worked
So we masking pain cause it hurts
Black pain being hanged like some merch
They tell our story
But let us tell you first
We was stolen put on display
Taught a new language
Distorted our face what a shame
We was shinning
They wanted us in shade
They thought we would stay slaves
One chapter but this novel has many
You know first peoples really look like pennies
This bronze skin
This is what they envy
And the culture that’s within me
[Chorus]
Know your worth sister
Protect the soul
Know your worth brother
Protect the fold
Know your worth Sister
Protect the fold
Know your worth Brother
Protect the Soul
[Outro]
Today I was thinking
What it would feel like
To be outside this flesh
For my spirit to be flying high in the sky
Above the clouds
At the Doorsteps of heaven
Hm..
Freedom.
Yeah
Protect the soul…
Protect the soul…
Song Writer: Jameel “Jameel3DN’ McPherson
Producer: Elroy “EC3” Cox III
Commissioned by Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 2021
[…] the fold has always been my people, from old to young. […] I feel like throughout history, we’ve done things for ourselves, not all of us, but there’s been particular people who’ve looked out for themselves and kind of didn’t care. Like, when are we going to get to the place where it’s not just about me, it’s about us, you know? […] For me, it’s always been about us. Everything I do is for us.
Raised in Toronto’s west end, Jameel3DN discovered solace through storytelling at a young age. His Jamaican background instilled in him the importance of “feeling” in the performance arts. It is something he has carried with him closely while making music throughout his career. What began as an outlet for jotting down the on-goings of each day as a child, transitioned into poetic stanzas that unveiled the observations and life lessons of adulthood.
Holding nothing back, Jameel3DN’s rhymes are candid spitfire tales of his experience as a black man. He takes listeners on a ride as he sheds light on the obstacles he has faced that are often tied to the color of his skin. His last project was a four-part series called “Letters Form Words Speak.” The tetralogy of projects invites you to take a journey with him through his most trying experiences. Though he doesn’t come out the other end unscathed, he is a better man for it.
As a father of three kids, the emcee understands the weight of his words and uses them to share messages that encourage personal and communal elevation rather than conformity, especially within the Black community. Flipping through to the next chapter Jameel3DN has faith in the path he’s chosen and wants his music to be received with an open mind and a clean heart.
Find Jameel3DN online: https://www.instagram.com/jameel3dn/
