George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People
Encyclopedia
"George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" is a protest song
by hip-hop duo The Legendary K.O. It was released on September 6, 2005, just days after Hurricane Katrina
. The song is available free on the Internet
. The song was a single first made available from FWMJ's Rappers I Know website. It was released using the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 license
.
to Hurricane Katrina
.
It is a mash-up
which gets its beat from Kanye West
's song "Gold Digger
". The first line in the song is a quote from West speaking at A Concert for Hurricane Relief
.
The song specifically criticized George W. Bush
for his slow reaction to the plight of New Orleans. It spread widely over the Internet
for several weeks after the catastrophe, in some cases backing video mash-ups with photo montages from the hurricane.
The refrain of the song asserts that "George Bush ain't a gold digger, but he ain't messin with no broke niggas" (a line from the original Gold Digger), and implores, "come down, Bush, come on, come down" to New Orleans. Similar themes, including the characterization of black victims of the hurricane as looters, were covered by Public Enemy in a contemporaneous single, "Hell No We Ain't All Right!
"
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
by hip-hop duo The Legendary K.O. It was released on September 6, 2005, just days after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. The song is available free on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The song was a single first made available from FWMJ's Rappers I Know website. It was released using the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 license
Creative Commons licenses
Creative Commons licenses are several copyright licenses that allow the distribution of copyrighted works. The licenses differ by several combinations that condition the terms of distribution. They were initially released on December 16, 2002 by Creative Commons, a U.S...
.
History
The politically charged song is a response to the Bush administration's heavily criticized responseCriticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina
The criticism of the government response to Hurricane Katrina consisted primarily of condemnations of mismanagement and lack of preparation in the relief effort in response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Specifically, there was a delayed response to the flooding of New Orleans, Louisiana...
to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
It is a mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
which gets its beat from Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's song "Gold Digger
Gold Digger
"Gold Digger" is a song recorded by American rapper Kanye West featuring guest vocals by Jamie Foxx. Released as the second single from West's second album, Late Registration, "Gold Digger" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 2005, becoming West's and Foxx's second...
". The first line in the song is a quote from West speaking at A Concert for Hurricane Relief
A Concert for Hurricane Relief
A Concert for Hurricane Relief was an hour-long, celebrity-driven benefit concert broadcast live. Sponsored by the NBC Universal Television Group, its purpose was to raise money, relief, and awareness in response to the loss of life and human suffering that resulted from Hurricane Katrina in five...
.
The song specifically criticized George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
for his slow reaction to the plight of New Orleans. It spread widely over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
for several weeks after the catastrophe, in some cases backing video mash-ups with photo montages from the hurricane.
The refrain of the song asserts that "George Bush ain't a gold digger, but he ain't messin with no broke niggas" (a line from the original Gold Digger), and implores, "come down, Bush, come on, come down" to New Orleans. Similar themes, including the characterization of black victims of the hurricane as looters, were covered by Public Enemy in a contemporaneous single, "Hell No We Ain't All Right!
Hell No We Ain't All Right!
"Hell No We Ain't All Right!" is a protest song released by hip hop group Public Enemy within weeks of Hurricane Katrina, criticizing President George W. Bush and his administration for his response to the catastrophe, and for wider administration policies...
"