美国国家公共电台 NPR 'The Soul's Gonna Speak': Run The Jewels Stares Down A Fraught 2017

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: 

When President Obama gave his goodbye speech this week, one of hip-hop's most politically active stars was watching. Killer¹ Mike is a rapper who actively² campaigned for the man he calls that old crazy haircutted (ph) white guy from Vermont. He gave him a shout out at the Democratic National Convention.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KILLER MIKE: His name is Sen. Bernard Sanders, and we've all been on a journey with him. If you've been pro-Bernie, let me hear you make some noise.

(CHEERING)

KILLER MIKE: If you feel the Bern, let me hear you make some noise.

MARTIN: Killer Mike really did feel the Bern. So when he and another rapper named El-P joined us to talk about some new music from their band Run The Jewels, we also got their take on the president's farewell. Killer Mike says he did like it when President Obama urged Americans to get more involved.

KILLER MIKE: When he started talking about activism, lacing up your boots, hitting the streets, you know, I tweeted it sounds like someone's been listening to the OG - the old guy - Bernie.

MARTIN: Clearly neither of these guys are Trump³ supporters, but they say they also aren't dreading⁵ the transition.

KILLER MIKE: I don't have a sense of dread⁴, to be honest. And the older black people I talk to don't have a sense of dread, who've lived under Nixon and who've lived under duplicitous presidents and governors before. So, no, what I have is a sense of what's next and what can we do to take care of ourselves.

MARTIN: At this point, El-P chimes in.

EL-P: I think that it's a mistake to let our history off the hook so much so to say that Trump is introducing the idea of dread into American culture.

MARTIN: Scathing⁶ social commentary, it's a big part of what these artists do musically as Run the Jewels.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A REPORT TO THE SHAREHOLDERS⁷ / KILL YOUR MASTERS")

EL-P: (Rapping) Beware of horses. I mean, a horse is a horse of course, but who rides is important. Sitting high with a uniform, barking orders, demanding order. And I'm scared that I talk too much about what I think's going on. I got a way with this, they might drag me away for this.

MARTIN: The duo takes its inspiration from the rap they grew up hearing in the '80s and '90s, at a time when the war on drugs and cocaine⁸ were ravaging⁹ American cities. Killer Mike had a front row seat from his neighborhood in Atlanta.

KILLER MIKE: I saw the world change, I saw it go upside down. And the irony¹⁰ of it is the only people who were telling the truth about what was happening at that time was rappers.

MARTIN: Today, they hope to carry the mantle¹¹. 2016 provided a lot of material, not least the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by several high-profile shooting deaths of African-Americans by police.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIEVES! SCREAMED THE GHOST")

KILLER MIKE: (Rapping) Conversing¹² with a ghost, conversing with a ghost. He just leaving and he screaming Jesus. He had the highest hopes, the had the highest hopes. People yelling, screaming at polices. Riots tonight, riots tonight. Burning, looting, shooting, taking, thieving.

EL-P: We unfolded a narrative¹³ in this one that we knew was important to get right. We wanted to make it an anatomy¹⁴ of a riot.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIEVES! SCREAMED THE GHOST")

KILLER MIKE: (Rapping) But they know his problems and feel his pain. She's still the same, she's still the same. We just prey¹⁵ off in they deadly game.

MARTIN: It's called "Thieves! (Screamed The Ghost)." It's about how these shooting victims don't just go away. Again, Killer Mike.

KILLER MIKE: I think that there is a pound of flesh owed in terms of this country making sure all of its citizens enjoy the constitutional rights that are promised. And because we don't, we keep resetting¹⁶ to the same place of anger and fear and angst and explosions of that. The dead don't rest. The soul's going to speak based on the fact that this country's still not offering full justice.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIEVES! SCREAMED THE GHOST")

EL-P: (Rapping) Nobody gets no more sleep 'till we teach them remembering.

TUNDE ADEBIMPE: (Singing) Thieves.

MARTIN: That's Killer Mike and El-P of Run The Jewels.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIEVES! SCREAMED THE GHOST")

TUNDE ADEBIMPE: (Singing) Thieves.

1 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

2 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

5 dreading   

v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father. 她正在为不得不向父亲提出钱的事犯愁。
• This was the moment he had been dreading. 这是他一直最担心的时刻。

6 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

8 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

9 ravaging   

毁坏( ravage的现在分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• It is believed that in fatigue there is a repeated process of ravaging the material. 据认为，在疲劳中，有一个使材料毁坏的重复过程。
• I was able to capture the lion that was ravaging through town. 我能逮住正在城里肆虐的那头狮子。

10 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

11 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

12 conversing   

v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I find that conversing with her is quite difficult. 和她交谈实在很困难。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were conversing in the parlor. 他们正在客厅谈话。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

14 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

15 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

16 resetting   

v.重新安放或安置( reset的现在分词 )；重拨（测量仪器指针）；为（考试、测试等）出一套新题；重新安置，将…恢复原位

参考例句：

• Range represents the maximum strain which can be recorded without resetting or replacing the strain gage. 量程表示无需重调或重装应变计就能记录到的最大应变。 来自辞典例句
• Adding weight to the puddle jumper by resetting its inertial dampeners. 通过调节飞船的惯性装置来增加重量。 来自电影对白