Drake's recent beef with Meek Mill has meant that ghostwriting has been a hot-button issue in hip-hop as of late. Now, Yasiin Bey has waded into the discourse with "Basquiat Ghostwriter."
Despite the timeliness of the title, "Basquiat Ghostwriter" doesn't contain any direct responses to the Drizzy and Mill. Rather, it features cryptic, worldly rhymes over a jazzy beat from late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's band Gray. In a way, Basquiat served as Bey's ghostwriter; although the lyrics are credited to the rapper, they were inspired by (and pieced together from) Basquiat's artwork.
Bey said in a statement:
No rap circuses. A Country Called Earth. Free the land. Love and respect to the Basquiat family and Mr. W.F. Flame. Let us be reminded of Sandra bland, Fegurson, Baltimore, and all the injustice of the world, as well as the beauty. Respect to the family of Sean Price and Brooklyn, from which I and Jean-Michel are from. Eternal love to my city. God bless the soul and keeping living, even when we die, we wont stay dead.Lyrics by Yasiin Bey, Music by Jean-Michel Basquiat's band Gray, off of their album Shades Of, originally recorded between 1979-1981. Lyrics taken from Jean-Michel's paintings, graffiti and notebook sketches. Make peace and be grateful. L T P F J – Yasiin Bey
Listen to the song below.
Despite the timeliness of the title, "Basquiat Ghostwriter" doesn't contain any direct responses to the Drizzy and Mill. Rather, it features cryptic, worldly rhymes over a jazzy beat from late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's band Gray. In a way, Basquiat served as Bey's ghostwriter; although the lyrics are credited to the rapper, they were inspired by (and pieced together from) Basquiat's artwork.
Bey said in a statement:
No rap circuses. A Country Called Earth. Free the land. Love and respect to the Basquiat family and Mr. W.F. Flame. Let us be reminded of Sandra bland, Fegurson, Baltimore, and all the injustice of the world, as well as the beauty. Respect to the family of Sean Price and Brooklyn, from which I and Jean-Michel are from. Eternal love to my city. God bless the soul and keeping living, even when we die, we wont stay dead.Lyrics by Yasiin Bey, Music by Jean-Michel Basquiat's band Gray, off of their album Shades Of, originally recorded between 1979-1981. Lyrics taken from Jean-Michel's paintings, graffiti and notebook sketches. Make peace and be grateful. L T P F J – Yasiin Bey
Listen to the song below.
