The Blackstone Rangers

“Belafonte” (Line 12) refers to Jamaican American musician Harry Belafonte, most known for his recording of the song “Day-O” (The Banana Boat Song)” (1956) and his explicit political support for Black liberation movements, including the nonviolent protests organized by groups associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. Belafonte created music to advance his cause.

Belafonte is a symbol of the potential for Black art to be a channel for achieving Black liberation. The Blackstone Rangers’ “Concerts / are not divine” (Lines 21-22) because they make their presence felt with group violence instead of art.

“Stokely” (Line 13) refers to Stokely Carmichael, a political figure who went from nonviolent political action as a student to black militance, and then to Pan-Africanism (the notion that it would take a global movement to free people of the African Diaspora).

Carmichael is thus a symbol of young people’s fruitless search for effective politics. The Blackstone Rangers aren’t interested in exploring other forms of affiliation because they’ve found one that works in their small corner of the world.

“Rap” (Line 13) symbolizes the evolution of Black political thought on the uses of violence and the importance of Black Power on a global scale. “Rap” (Line 13) refers to H.