The meeting of the artist known as Deportee is the experience of being part of a revolution in the domain of the Reggae and Dancehall fusion as he is one such revolutionary himself who functions from the confluence of Detroit’s soulful heartbeat and St. Mary, Jamaica’s rhythmic roots. Not only is he a musician but a global citizen whose worldview is a product of his life experiences in the eight different nations that he has visited. Son of Sylvia Curran, a distinguished diplomat of the United States of America, the tale of Deportee is no less complicated than his music. In fact, his very name is the fruit of the experiences he and his mother have endured together, namely their expulsion from Uzbekistan in 2006 due to the activism of his mother. This dedication to the truth and the gravity of real life is what he brings to his newest release titled “Black Women Are Not Cheap,” which was released on the 6th of June. This piece is more than a musical composition; it is an affirmation, a brilliant blend of culture and consciousness that must be heard. Let’s strip away the layers of this amazing album and bask in the raw, spiritual creativity that makes Deportee such a unique artist.
This track breaks out with a boldness and audacity of percussiveness which cannot be easily categorized. The first beat draws the listener right away to this piece of music because of its popping nature that gives one a feeling of being stuck in a fusion of hip hop from Detroit and dancehall from Jamaica. I truly believe that such an impeccable mixture has never been created before. The beginning of the track possesses a hypnotic power that fascinates the listener with the way how the powerful beat of hip hop unites with the syncopated one of the dancehall rhythm. This is really amazing how a combination of two genres becomes a hypnotic power of sounds that grab one by the neck.
“Black Women Are Not Cheap” rises above the level of an ordinary song to become a call-to-action piece, an epic, unflinching homage to the worthiness, strength, and critical contributions of Black women. This idea is clearly presented in the song lyrics, in which Deportee makes clear that the message is important “to the black nation.” Thus, Deportee expands the message beyond that of a regular activist to demand society’s re-evaluation of Black people’s identity as a whole. What motivated him to create this power-packed track was a flash of inspiration born out of indignation: Deportee saw in a music video how a man sexually exploited a woman by grabbing her body, while the camera showed no mercy and deprived her of the respect of even showing her face on the screen. We need to be brutally honest about the importance of this topic. In the world we inhabit, Black women too frequently become the forgotten minority, considered to be the bottom of the barrel when it comes to being in the dating pool and in society in general. There is this dark pressure that requires black women to work twice as hard for half the praise, being required to struggle for their worth and their merit within their personal lives and professional circles alike. There is no mistake here, for this is the lingering evil of an extremely negative stereotype that originated in the depths of slavery. The inspiration for Deportee’s creative process came from the frustration associated with this fight. What the artist saw at that moment, besides the irritation, triggered a strong protest coming right from the depth of his soul. The phrase “Black women are not cheap” was born in that moment of righteous indignation, the weapon of words that the artist created to fight the commercialization of beauty and the degradation of the segment of our population that forms the spine of our civilization. The transformation of the frustration into an unstoppable anthem means not only the birth of a new track but also the demolition of the centuries-long legend, making us pay attention and honor the true worth of Black women.
Deportee embodies a sonic versatility as vast as his international background, effortlessly intertwining various strands of culture to create a unique audio tapestry that speaks only in his distinct voice. Deportee exists at the confluence of Reggae, Dancehall, and R&B genres with such an ease that very few people possess, and fills every line of his work with an undeniable sense of authenticity, turning him into an indispensable and powerful force in every environment. It is exactly this daring in creation, this extraordinary talent of merging the various aspects of his world into one single coherent rhythm, that secured the success of the album. By taking no shortcuts, he created an anthem that is personal and universal at the same time, showing that when true passion and brilliant genre-blurring come together, the result is not just a successful song but a new standard.
“Black Women Are Not Cheap” is not just an ordinary song; rather, it is a massive anthem that is designed to pay tribute to the incredible elegance, strength, and graceful poise of all Black women around the world. With a catchy and hypnotic beat forming the backbone of the song, Deportee creates one of the most complex flows, sweet melodies, and sharp wordplays. Indeed, he is a real musical genius in that he has the incredible knack for creating a track that makes you want to dance while at the same time addressing the very problems we need to address. Listening to his music is like having an epiphany as he delivers the much-needed soulful affirmation that all of us, especially all Black women, need to remind ourselves that we are valuable and that this world is trying its best to undermine this value. He doesn’t just make music; he creates an oasis of self-respect and I’m grateful that I discovered such an amazing artist who can speak so truthfully and boldly. I’m his fan forever and I can’t wait for his next musical creation.
Stream “Black Women Are Not Cheap” on Spotify
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