Bando with the tags on the wood boards /
Charger hit the gas on a red light /
Cheeto bag beneath the leaves beneath the snow until it melts… /
March it look just like November
From North Minneapolis With Love
Caring about North Minneapolis is a radical thing to do. You are not expected to care about North Minneapolis. In fact, the city is counting on you to not care so “the way things are” can continue on smoothly — like its active gentrification.
Generally speaking, it’s cool to not care.
If an American is not a self-important workaholic, they’re likely nihilistic. But whether they believe the world is counting on them or nothing really matters, these common personas can agree on one thing: to not give a fuck about other people.
Out of all the groups of people we treat like NPCs and never stop to listen to, working class Black people are among the most marginalized.
From news channels and political speeches to daily commutes through the “sketchy” parts of town, few people talk about neglected Black communities in a way that suggests the residents are real people. Black working class neighborhoods are treated like District 8 in The Hunger Games: the hood is a setting and its people minor characters, pawns in a big game who are little more than bodies to control.
There is brilliance in North Minneapolis. Persistent and refreshing art, academic pride, and community building continue with or without more grocery stores. Sharp and compassionate opinions on what elected officials should be doing continue to be shared with or without validation. With or without an ethical police force.
It’s time to let go of the assumption that people in North Minneapolis don’t care about North Minneapolis.
A BRAT Worldview
On some completely different shit…
Charli XCX and Caroline Polachek are sensational pop artists.
With the BRAT era, Charli accomplished a number of artistic and broader cultural feats that few could imagine to even attempt. Among them was packaging sincere, existential drama about being in your 30s into a cocaine-fueled club soundtrack. Charli is like the best version of a Skins character grown-up (UK version, of course): charismatic, cocky, messy, fucked up, and able to party out of any situation. “Everything is romantic” stitches together a throbbing, edgy collage of all the things you’d see and feel coming down after a London rave in the wee hours.
Taking thorough notes and confidently doing things her way, Caroline Polachek remixes “Everything is romantic” with a complete fall girl makeover. Where the original walks around in a sweaty, torn-up t-shirt, the remix is in a flowy dress with a cardigan and over-ear headphones on a metro bus ride on a rainy September night. From this spot, everything is serene — the girl vomiting from the back of a Lime scooter, the ACAB tags, cheap wine, the rain, everything.
That must be how it feels to accept where you’re from and what it gives you.
Listen to “Everything in the hood romantic” by Zander, an American
Written in the key of C# Minor with a Jersey club kick pattern as the backbone, “Everything in the hood romantic” preserves the spirit of the “Everything is romantic” remix but places it firmly in North Minneapolis.
Listen to “Everything in the hood romantic” by Zander, an American on your streaming platform of choice. You can also watch the accompanying music video on the ATC Sound YouTube channel.