Pink Sifuu - Negro
2020 has not exactly been a fun year, and Pink Siifu’s breakthrough album Negro is not exaclty a fun album. One should expect an absolute hail storm of assault when visiting this record. The album came out in April of this year, one month before the political fallout and riots that stemmed from the wrongful death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. This is important context for Negro, as it is apparent almost immediately that the album is staunchly anti-police, anti-establisment, and anti-America. With song titles like “ameriKKKa, try no pork.,” “we need mo color.,” and “Black Be Tha God, NEGRO.(wisdom.cipher),” the album tells the story of a black man fed up with unjust police brutality and American racism that reached a boiling point in 2020. The album is truly punk, with the centerpiece “FK” serving as the most solid piece of punk rock since people actually cared about what was and wasn’t punk. However, the true magic of Negro is in its ability to be both ugly and beautiful. It is visceral, noisy, rebellious, and aggressive, while maintaining an engaging, sometimes-accessible sound. Overall the record is pure chaos, and an essential period piece for the black experience in 2020’s America.
