Imagine if American slaves had been white and the slave masters members of the black ruling class. That concept is explored in Jay-Z and Kanye West’s new video “No Church in the Wild.”
Produced and directed by the High 5 Collective, the unofficial video opens with a white slave running from black slave masters in 1862. The white slave has visible marks on his back from being beaten viciously with a bull whip.
The white slave’s beating stems from him raping or having a sexual relationship with a black woman. During the initial beating, the white slave manages to escape and is captured by his black slave owners in a church. As he is being dragged through the church by a black mob, an enormous cross is visible in the background. The white slave is eventually tied to a tree with a rope around his neck. After a member of the mob kicks a stump from beneath the slave, his feet dangle in the air. A dog looks at his lifeless body as it swings back and forth.
The video’s powerful imagery paints a vivid picture of the disturbing nature of slavery and the lingering effect that the institution has had on race relations in America. Watch the video below and share your thoughts. –amir shaw
Kanye West and Jay Z – No Church In The Wild (music video) from High5Collective on Vimeo.
