It’s no question that Brother Ali is one of the best storytellers in hip-hop. Over the years, his body of work stands in a league of his with deep introspection, emotional depth, social and political commentary, all bound together with technical skill. The single “Cadillac” showcases all of these as Brother Ali takes the listener down a haunting path shining light on the plight of victims of systemic racism and police brutality in certain neighborhoods in the United States. In addition, the accompanying animated video created by Justin Unjust Herman is one of the best animated shorts I’ve ever seen. Let’s hop into it.
The song starts with a jazzy guitar lick as Brother Ali paints the picture of a black father and son duo rolling around in their yellow Cadillac. He perfectly illustrates the scene, referencing the swagger of their Stenson hats and sharp suits and ties. Two men, well dressed, cruising the city after a visit to their mosque. Suddenly, the police have the Cadillac surrounded. They ask both men to show their hands and get out of the vehicle. Brother Ali raps in first person as the son of the duo, “Pops said be quiet and do not get shot”. As they are approached by police and put face down on the pavement, Ali continues to rap, “my back became a cushion for their fat ass knees”. He brings to life haunting realities of living in some communities by referencing George Floyd, but the tone of his lyricism is not one of anger. It’s calm, it’s cool, it’s collected. And that projects even more strength. While both men are face down on the pavement, the cops search the vehicle and don’t find the contraband they were looking for. They eventually cut the zip ties off their hands and let the two men go. When it feels safe to do so, the main character asks the police why they were pulled over in the first place. The police answer, “just answering a call, two black men in a Cadillac, that’s y’all // simple misunderstanding is all”. Brother Ali winds down the song reflecting on how traumatic that event was, how wrong it could have gone, and how it was shrugged off as no big deal.
Brother Ali can certainly hold his own with his verbal storytelling, and he did exactly that in this song. But Justin Unjust Herman absolutely nailed the animation of the video, and together, this duo of rapper and animator, really brings the audience deep into their world with both an audio and visual experience.
- Kris Kuganathan
