Santos 1

Aaron Santos

Professor Granillo

English 101

6 February 2020

Playlist Abstract

Music is a wonderful tool in advocating for change within society. Throughout the

history of music, artists had always used songs and lyrics to persuade audiences and advocate for

change of issues during that time period. An individual such as musicians who work towards

change within society and perseveres through opposition is my definition of what it means to be

a patriot. The playlist I had developed has common themes including strength, confidence, and

community, which all define the characteristics of someone who is a patriot. All of the four

songs include “F*ck Your Ethnicity” by Kendrick Lamar, “Apparently” by J. Cole, “Keep Ya

Head Up” by 2Pac, and “Don’t Shoot” by The Game.

In They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us a novel written by Hanif Abdurraqib, the author

writes “to bear witness to so much death that could easily be your own is to push toward

redefining what it is to be a patriot in this country. It is even to push toward redefining ‘country,’

until it becomes a place where there is both pride and safety” (Abdurraqib). The playlist aids in

the creation of Abdurraqib’s idea of a new patriot by focusing on musicians and how they work

to rally their community to persevere through social issues and advocate for change. These songs

specifically focus on the African-American community and their struggles including racism and

discrimination. Bravery and freedom are established through the lyrics of the artists who use

their platform with the risk of opposition in order to freely express their attitudes of the current

state of the United States.

 Santos 2

Works Cited

Abdurraqib, Hanif. “V.” They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. Columbus, Two Dollar Radio,

2017, pp. 175-176.