Referencing human rights injustices and those mighty warriors who stood up to be counted, as well as the victims whose names we sadly know all too well, Jimmy Mack’s new single, ‘Walk The Line’ is a sobering track, and serves as a reminder to us that racial equality is something we need to be striving for and conscious of all year round, not just during Black History Month. And, we’re also aware of the significance of today’s date – April 4 marks the 54th anniversary of the assassination of legendary Civil Rights campaigner, Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Jimmy Mack is one of those MCs who doesn’t just repeat second hand accounts in his music, but he knows what he’s talking about, first person. The Florida-raised, California-based rapper is no newcomer to the scene, and he’s a veteran whose skills are razor-sharp, and who is well aware of what is going on around him. After taking a hiatus to look after the business of life, Jimmy Mack has been back hard at it since 2018, with his distinctive hip-hop style refined and perfected. ‘Walk The Line’ comes from his upcoming album, ‘My Own Lane’, as state-of-the-art as any other modern hip-hop album. Lean, smart, and hungry, ‘Walk The Line’ sounds contemporary and fresh, and after listening to the lyrics, you’ll know that Jimmy Mack’s wisdom has come from a lifetime of struggle.
‘Walk The Line’ is an anthemic track which does double time as a history lesson about the civil rights movement. Jimmy Mack takes us through it: an emotional first verse, paying his respects to those martyrs of the 1960s, with a stinging second stanza which confronts the legacy of the Rodney King beating and the troubling times afterwards. He concludes with a thundering name-check of the many recent victims of state violence, and draws causal links between the acts of sacrifice and the consciousness-raising, police overreach and paranoia; the prejudice and injustice. All of it is captured in rap couplets that are feisty, pared-down, and muscular, not one syllable or gesture is wasted.
The accompanying music video, directed by Manny Brea and Jonathan Betancourt, matches shot for shot the song’s urgency and immediacy. Footage of the Capitol Building, street protests and political actions, redacted ledgers, sit alongside vintage black and white images of civil rights leaders. Then come those saddening images that we know all too well: Los Angeles neighbourhoods on fire in the aftermath of the unlawful death of Rodney King; George Floyd under the knee of an uncaring policeman; surveillance helicopters scouring the city streets with searchlights. Jimmy Mack himself is shown wearing handcuffs, siting on the wrong side of the desk in a police station. Bruised and battered, Jimmy nonetheless knows he’s got the truth on his side, and with that knowledge, and he never stops speaking out.
Watch the stirring video for ‘Walk The Line’ below, and find out more about Jimmy Mack and his music online on his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and on Senshi Entertainment‘s website.
