“State Prisoner” by Black Thought
Black Thought in this track, describes himself as the victor behind bars, not necessarily in its literal sense. ‘Bars’ in the context of this song alludes to his rap sequences. Throughout the track, the rapper suggests that he is talented and constantly produces lines and music that is beyond human standards.
The song begins with a quote from Stokely Carmichael on his pleas for blacks to be united in the face of racial injustice. The artist in the verse then raps about himself, mentioning his name Trotter, and describing himself as a victor who conquers with his lyrics despite the hatred and criticism he receives. He explains that he represents all the people who are undesired or unappreciated, while being justified and guilty for killing his detractors with his lyrics. The rapper in the bridge talks about beginning to run the streets at the tender age of 9 and knowing what he wanted to do at age 10, which is most likely rapping and making music. The song concludes with Black crowning himself king in the rap world, while elevating his status as an artist above that of a normal person.
State Prisoner was produced by Sean C, written by Black Thought and released on 16 October 2020 as the second track off the album Streams of Thought, Vol.3: Cane and Able (2020)
