By Rebecca Marx
“The longest bridge is a reference to the complex relationship between North and Northeast Minneapolis between the working class European Americans, African Americans and immigrant communities from around the world that call Minneapolis home. As the neighborhoods on both sides of the bridge are becoming prime real estate we are lifting up their stories – the good, bad, ugly and beautiful – of the working poor communities that raised us on that turf.” –G.P.jacob
“The Longest Bridge” EP by Minneapolis Hip Hop artist and social activist G.P.jacob, celebrated its release on 5/20 at Public Functionary. The EP features guest vocals by Mayda, Shavunda Horsley and Scoundrel Spence, and was produced by Mamadu (Toki Wright’s prod. pseudonym). G.P.jacob (Jake Virden) has been feat. on the Mamadu Monday track: “Let’s Get It” and has recently worked with Jake the Jeweler and Guante. The former Audio Perm member along with his brother Unfuh Qwittable also started Off 10 Publications, a creative forum for their writing, lyrics and performances.
The EP bring sharp focus to the history of exclusion and racism(current and past) that the Northside of Minneapolis has experienced. Jacobs’s rap examines the tense and incendiary relationships that exist in the city, one that burns hot with fuel from race, political, and class relations and inequalities.
A lot of the general public are familiar with the Black Lives Matter movement, cases of political injustice and police brutality in the Northside of Minneapolis, but are they aware that there is a history of system-wide racism that in the past made it difficult for African Americans to find housing or obtain a mortgage in certain areas of the city? What about the fact that the Lowry Avenue Bridge that connects the Northside of Minneapolis to Northeast is more closed than open most summers? Blatant attempts at segregation, to keep certain populations out of the rest of the city.
The title track of the EP is a searing commentary of the fact that the Lowry Avenue Bridge has the nickname of “the longest bridge that connects Africa to Poland”, and outlines the experience of a person dealing with situations that equate to a personal version of “Midwest Apartheid”.
The release of this socially conscious EP is timed right, with people heady from the carnival-like weekend of Art A Whirl in NE Minneapolis. After such joy, it is more important than ever to recognize that there is fantasy, and then there is real life. Real life is the people of Minneapolis facing the everyday struggles of obtaining the fundamental needs of survival. Abraham Maslow outlined it in his Hierarchy of Needs: “deficiency needs or d-needs”: without esteem, friendship and love, security and physical needs (sustenance) a man cannot reach his full potential (self actualization).
On a relatable level for a lot of people that live in and enjoy the fruits of our fair city Minneapolis, look at the history of artists and gentrification. In the 1980’s, the “Warehouse District” was a haven for artists to work and live in, now called the “North Loop”, condos are priced in the six digits, and the artists have been financially forced out. Many of those same artists are right now thriving in the Northeast part of the city, but as each condo goes up-so does the rent, where will you go next?
This marginalization is something that the EP “The Longest Bridge” addresses and expands upon. The EP is a strongly worded call to attention, one that should be heard. A “must listen” for those who love Minneapolis. A beautiful city with a flip side that is easier to ignore, than to take a deep and drawn out look at. Take a look, and a listen.
http://soultools.bandcamp.com/album/the-longest-bridge-ep?from=embed
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