Sachém And Nenjah Nycist's New Single Poignantly Discusses ‘Democracy’
Sachém. Photo supplied.
Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) artist Sachém believes in speaking about his lived experiences, and highlighting the injustices in society. On his new track, Democracy, he teams up with American artist Nenjah Nycist to speak about their existence as black men in 2021. When I first heard the track, I A) immediately knew I wanted to write about it, and B) wondered why I hadn’t heard about it before. I’m pretty confident in saying that Sachém already is one of the best rappers in Australia.
As a spoken word poet, rapper and singer, Sachém has found a home in the world of wordplay. The name Sachém means an elected Native American chief from the Mohegan tribute in the North East of the US, and it speaks to the weight of every bar Sachém delivers. The sparse, piano-led beat that both Sachém and Nenjah rap over adds extra emphasis to their lyricism, because you’re not distracted by anything. Let the words truly set into your brain, and take them onboard. You’ll learn a lot from these two MCs.
Speaking about his purpose for making music, “Growing up knowing stories of how my people have been treated. From experiencing racism myself, to seeing the direct effect that it’s had on my close friends, some of whom have attempted suicide and many of whom have been in and out of the system really inspires me to want to make a change for my people.
“I am also inspired by the lack of Indigenous representation in all areas of life and I want to be part of the Indigenous song that is being sung right now by many strong black voices across Australia, as we continue to work for change.” I asked Sachém for a quote about Democracy, and he summed it up perfectly. “The people will always have the power.” I don’t think I could put it better than that.
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Check out Democracy below. What does democracy mean in 2021 anyway? To certain Australians (ok, many Australians), the answer isn’t much. Take a look at our Parliament and you’ll see what I mean. To me, this track is a reminder that I can do better, that we can all do better. Amplify voices like Sachém, and play your part in Democracy. I think we all owe each other that much.