The Four Hundred: Wyclef Jean and MC Jin plead for peace
Hits such as “Where is the Love” by the Black Eyed Peas written in response to the 9/11 attacks and “I Can’t Breathe,” by H.E.R. written amid Black Lives Matter movement tensions, music has been an outlet for artists to be vocal about change.
Grammy award-winning artist Wyclef Jean and Asian American rapper MC Jin, the first solo Asian American rapper to sign a major record label in the U.S., released their collaborative song “Stop The Hatred,” at the beginning of May. It was inspired by the recent rise in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities.
With Jean’s raspy vocals belting, “Rain love on me,” and Jin’s powerful verses imploring unity and change, the soulful song speaks volumes.
Jin’s 8-year-old son Chance inspired the song title when he shouted ‘Stop the hatred” at a Stop Asian Hate rally in New York City, one of many rallies that were hosted around the country after many elderly Asian people were becoming the subject of random attacks, presumably by the rhetoric surrounding COVID-19 and its origin of China.
“Racism and hate against underrepresented communities can only be fought with unity. I’m proud to work with my brother, MC Jin, to build bridges for our communities through our music. We all need to be active in our fight to stop the hatred,” Jean said, adding to Jin’s statement about how solidarity is a big part of the creation of the song.
Jin opens up with a packed verse focused on his grandmother, who had passed in early 2020, but despite the heaviness of her death, he darkly sees it with relief, knowing that she will not be subject to the recent, random, and often brutal attacks.
“A simple trip to the market thought the streets were safe/ Turned targets I speak up for my people’s sake/ From this pandemic I’m hopeful that we’ll escape/ Until then love’s the only vaccine for hate” Jin recites.
In the song’s music video released on May 12, Jean is seen playing the piano in an abandoned Chinese banquet hall while Jin raps alongside him. Black-and-white footage appears against Jin and Jean’s melodies, showing protests from the past and present all desperately crying out for the exact resolution: peace.
Jean begins his sonorous verse, alluding to current events while playing around with popular hits that also strive to send the same message.
“Now I’m all in linen like John imagining. . .Come together like the Beatles remastered,” Jean recites, referring to John Lennon and The Beatles’ song “Imagine” which similarly echoes the need for peaceful unity.
Jin, a Chinese American and Jean, a Haitian immigrant, show in their collaboration that Black-Asian conflict must come to end in order to fight against the typical perpetrator, which is decades-long political structures meant to hold power over both communities.
In a study done by Pew Research Center, 4 in 10 Black and Asian adults say they have experienced a rise in racial discrimination since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, xenophobic rhetoric has been spread on a public stage, which could be seen as the boiling point to the conflict that has been around much longer than COVID-19.
Jean continues in his verse, “Politicians they be flipping Gabby Douglas/They divide so they can conquer then they chain our ancestors.”
Videos of the unprovoked attacks against mainly Asian elderly individuals went viral in their shocking nature. Though only a tiny percentage of the perpetrators were of African American ethnicity, it fueled much anti-Black sentiment amongst Asians.
“History shows indeed tension has existed/ Between the two communities but here’s a fact/ Beyond colors we’re humans not just yellow or black/ Like Chris Rock I ain’t liberal or conservative inside/ I just know the enemy would love to further divide,” Jin recites.
In a Genius video of the artists explaining the meaning behind the music, Jin emphasizes his realization that as much as he cares about his own community and the Stop Asian Hate movement, he must also put that energy into the Black Lives Matter movement because, at the end of the day, violence against minority communities should not be the new normal in society.
Both Asian and Black individuals are seen posing in front of protest art to support each other’s movements in the “Stop The Hatred” music video. Just the pure emotion of disappointment on their faces is enough to construe the moving and clear message.
“I think that line, ‘More light for you doesn’t make the world darker for me,’ is me trying to say, ‘Let’s care more about others as much as we care about ourselves,’ ” Jin explains, “‘If you got a problem, then we all got a problem.’ ”
MC Jin and Wyclef Jean brilliantly utilize their lyricism and raw voice to promote bridging the gap between the Asian and Black communities and for a better tomorrow for them both.