This track came together during the first few weeks of Trump's second term. 

I was feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with all of the news, and disheartened by his disregard for the rule of law and separation of powers; as well as his rhetoric about Mexican people like myself.

As I wrestled with the idea of making a song about politics, I was reminded of this poem by Chuck Jackson which is about the importance of speaking up as an artist.

I have also been a long term listener of Immortal Technique, who I drew inspiration from, and who's discography makes this song seem tame in comparison. 

This song came together over the course of about a week or two. I got the chorus and part of the first verse down over a weekend, and then I was kind of always working on it after. Either in the back of my mind between work tasks, or on my drives to the gym.

Two lessons that I've learned about the creative process came into play for this record:

1. Always be exploring and taking in new inspiration.
2. Lean into what is top of mind, or what you feel the most strongly about in a given moment.

Indeed, some of my favorite songs I have written were the result of exploring what I was feeling most strongly on the day I wrote them, and not letting that emotion “go to waste”.

For this one, I had a lifetime of inspiration to draw from preceding this moment, along with the barrage of news that came out while I was writing. I also re-watched this segment of Last Week Tonight from 2016, that goes in depth on Trump's past and shady business dealings.

Another story fresh on my mind was a 20 episode series I had listened to on the Empire podcast about the East India company. The theme that stood out to me in that series was the recurrence of divide and conquer tactics by the company, with effects that have continued to this day.

But, the tactic did not start or end with the British. It dates back to the Romans, it was used by the Nazi party and others, and is on full display in Trump's second term.

So, I named he song after its Latin antecedent “Divide Et Impera” as a nod to the tactic's long history. Before the song came out, I also realized the name makes the acronym “DEI”, which is a fun bonus.

The cover art illustrates the history as well. It features a painting of Duleep Singh, a prince who was deposed as a child by the East India company, the Degenerate Art Exhibit organized by the Nazi party to critique art and culture they disagreed with, and the recent  Time Magazine cover of Musk.

I am not as involved as I'd like to be. And it can be hard to feel like I know enough to speak on a topic. 

I found encouragement and validation in media like this video by Ezra Klein, and in this video by Crash Course. Their recognition of the magnitude of the moment, and the importance of art's role in social change pushed me forward.

This section in verse 1 is as much to myself as to other artists. It is written in the same spirit as the poem I referenced earlier. It is not a diss; rather a bit of tough love.

“You can
Step out your lane for a minute

Homie when you talk
They listen

You ain’t gotta have
All the answers

But be a voice
Of opposition”

Being political can change your “lane”. Some artists are content with that, and in fact speaking out politically is their most authentic form of self expression. I'd argue for some other artists, its at best a crutch and at worst a gimmick.
 
Personally, I wish the world was simple and peaceful enough to stick to writing fuckboy R&B records, those are way more fun. This is not my area of expertise.

But, I felt like being quiet on this would be an abdication of my responsibility as an artist. 

I often minimize my writing skills. I am usually comparing myself to legacy artists or great authors and trying to emulate them. But, without being arrogant, I am a good writer.

And the feedback I have heard is that some of my work has put things into words others could not express.
So I wanted to do that with “Divide Et Impera” for the present state of affairs.

Additionally, I believe art, culture and philosophy move politics. And artists are in this sort of interesting conversation with their audience, shaping each other in turn, and shaping the culture(s) they participate in.

I think of this work as a contribution to the broader conversation.

Further, I believe Trump views the world through a television producer's eyes. His time on TV was spent spinning an image of himself as a successful and genius businessman; a mythos that is invaluable to him. He has spent his career manipulating public perception. 

His disdain for college protests, and tirades against news outlets critical of him are not new, they are the continuation of a longstanding trend.

More recently, I have been listening to “The making of Donald Trump”, which includes many examples of his propensity for spin. From his fake identities he'd use to plant stories in the media, to his requests to bury court records that painted him in a bad light, and his disposition more generally toward journalists. The book includes quotes like:

“Many reporters accurately quote what they are told, but don’t know much about the underlying issues. For Trump and others like him, this makes it easy to manipulate most of the press.”

“To disagree with Trump is to be wrong. To portray Trump in a way that does not fit with his image of himself is to be a loser.”

― David Cay Johnston, The Making of Donald Trump

So I believe it is doubly important to not let him control the narrative. We don't have to grant him this image he's worked so hard to craft in the public eye. We don't owe him deference or adoration or attempts to rationalize his batshit actions just because of the chair he happens to sit in now.

In the chorus I call for him to be imprisoned. Not just impeached, but put away. There cannot be a slap on the wrist for this behavior. And as I have learned more about him, the more I've realized there is a long history of him disregarding the law without any real consequences far before his political career.

In the second verse, I address the subject matter of the song more directly.

While there are many things to criticize him for, I only had limited time both in terms of the song length and the time I had to write.

I focused on some major points, such as his pardoning of insurrectionists, his felonies, and the fact that some of the richest people in the world all attended his inauguration. These should all be clear signs of a character unfit for office.

The producer Xavien (XVN) made the beat for this song.
I went out to Music in Focus studio to have it recorded, mixed and mastered.

Dennis filmed the video.
And The Dock Bookshop was kind enough to lend us their space for the video.

I felt a bookshop would be the most symbolic place to film, and I wanted to film reading books I had read relevant to this moment.

I headed out in a rush the day of the shoot, and did not remember several books I could have included in the video.

A People's History of the United States and Open Veins of Latin America did make it into the video. The Jungle feels like a perfect metaphor for this time as well. I'd also include Manufacturing Consent, Ship Breaker and 1984 in a companion reading list if there was one.

If you can visit and support the bookstore, I highly encourage it ! If you can't, bookshop.org lets you select them (or another independent bookstore) to receive a large portion of your sale when you purchase books online through their site!  

The CEO did a great interview recently explaining how it all works.

I think it is a great way to take dollars away from a certain large online retailer and divert them to local businesses that do more for the community, including providing gathering spaces for free expression and the exchange of ideas.

One other small thing you can do which I highly recommend is printing or ordering Red Cards and giving them out where you can. Latino businesses and spaces are great;  but so are any coffee shops, barber shops, indie bookstores and other spaces where they will allow you and where members of the community come together.

Shoot me a message and let me know your thoughts on the song, my breakdown, the books I recommended, or anything else ! 

I'm @SinSpokenWord everywhere.

Talk soon,

- Sin