The performer and American ex-pat known as Yasiin Bey (f.k.a. Mos Def), shared a new song called “NO Colonial Fiction” a night after the coordinated attacks in Paris. Bey, who has been settling in Paris after a stint in South Africa, also gave an interview to the journalist Ferrari Sheppard on the “A Country Called Earth” podcast.
“NO Colonial Fiction” was likely recorded before the attacks, as Bey released it within a day, but he draws a line between the issues that inspired it and this weekend’s events. In the interview, a clearly incensed Bey pointed out the interconnected nature of racial tension throughout the world, from Cleveland to Missouri to South Africa and Paris. He also had sharp words for ISIS and those who placed the blame for the attack on Islam. “A big giant ‘Fuck Off’ to ISIS. You don’t represent nothing about Islam or nothing about the Prophet,” Bey said. “And another giant ‘Fuck Off’ to everybody trying to say this is Islam’s fault.” Bey continued to rail against the inhumanity of the state (“It’s only there to use people for their benefit”), and to encourage “anyone with a Twitter account” to be vocal not be silenced. He also pointed at what he thinks is a root cause of violence; the inability to disagree in a civilized manner. “People don’t know how to disagree,” Bey said. “That’s the measure of a civilization, man…not how well you agree, but how well you disagree.”
According to “A Country Called Earth,” “NO Colonial Fiction” will appear on Bey’s upcoming mixtape The Human Being (My Favorite Band).
You can hear the entirety of the interview here:
Listen to “NO Colonial Fiction” here: