"Black History Month" was produced and co-composed by Trent Reznor for Saul Williams' third studio album, The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust!.
Saul Williams on "Black History Month"
"This song started out as a collaboration between me and Thavius. When we got home from our first tour with Trent, we recorded 8 or 9 songs in about a week. Thave programmed a series of beats that I hand picked and then would take home and write to each night. Two songs from what Thave and I did together, I later introduced to Trent for him to help make sense of. The other is DNA. This song, like most on the album was written in my bedroom. That red faced man in the album art is the painting over my bed. Interestingly, Angelbert (the painter behind all the album art) transported a bunch of paintings to my house in a big cardboard box and instructed me to rip the box apart and use it to group the paintings in batches of 13. When I openned the box I found that man painted on the inside. I can't believe he was gonna have me rip that up. Anyway, back to the song. The openning line "Can u feel it? Nothing can save u?" is a quote from a classic hip hop song by Biz Markee. Any hip hop head would know that instantly. In hip hop culture its a sign of respect to quote or reference another artist or song. That third section/breakdown came about when Trent asked me to add some noises over the beat for some variation. I had been listening to a lot of Parliament/Funkadelic and Talking Heads and felt pretty "experimental" that day as I began layering the beat with slurred words..."
Trent Reznor on "Black History Month"
"A Thavius track originally titled "Banana Peels". Probably my favorite track on the record and one I pushed to be first. Also one I had very little to do with musically aside from some arrangement work. This was always the first track I'd play for people from this project to freak them out. Try it on nice speakers REAL loud and you'll see what I mean."
Song Credits
- Music by Thavius Beck (1001:1 Publishing/ASCAP) and Trent Reznor (Leaving Hope)
- Add. Programing by Trent Reznor
- Words by Saul Williams (Punk Rock of Gibraltar/EMI)
- Vox: Saul Williams
- Background vox: CX KiDTRONiK
Appearances
Versions
Black History Month
This version is heard on The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust!.
Lyrics
Can you feel it? Nothing can save you. I’m tougher than bullets so, baby, pray to your savior.
I never been shot, but I bet you I’m braver. I’m taking my spot, NGH, I ain’t afraid to be me.
Sometimes I find it very hard to be..”Who?”. Me…
{The inevitable rise and liberation of NiggyTardust!}
Yo the banana peels are carefully placed! So keep your shell toes carefully laced!
The illest NGH got peppered and maced!Now amplify this. Turn up the bass!
Picture me, lampin’ in the company car. Rims like Tibetan prayer wheels. NGH WHT? I’m a star.
I cruise the block like a feather back and forth ‘til I land as the song in your ear or the book in your hand.
Now the whole fuckin world ‘bout to know who I am. Got your whole system up in my trunk.
That ‘dog eat dog’ make my woofers bark: atomic crunk All my trill NGHs know who be bringin da funk.
Lees and shell toes like it’s Black History Month. Yo the banana peels are carefully placed!
So keep your shell toes carefully laced! The illest NGH got peppered and maced! Now amplify this.
Turn up the bass!
Yo the banana peels are carefully placed! So keep your shell toes carefully laced!
The illest NGH got peppered and mased! Now amplify this. Turn up the bass!
There was one. Bore witness to the rays of the sun. Synthesized in her own image. Photo negative. Shun.
The development of Parliament. The phallic bop gun. Thus, the mother-ship connection spawned the birth of the drum.
Ancient drum begat drum. Kingdom go, kingdom come. Ancient sector of the scepter risen up to the Sun.
Hidden hand of man begat patented clone of the drum. Boom Bap strapped into a wire, tightly coiled, and re-spun.
Trigger sound. Trigger gun. Drum machine. Machine gun. Bodies piled.
Carefully filed under beats that were once reprogrammed to become: unplugged concert of Sun.
Every ray with sample clearance. Every two begat one. Boom bop hard as a gun. White cross-trainers, unstrung.
Let these suckas know the cost of making Harriet run.
Let the North Star be your guiding post when turned from the sun until knowledge reigns supreme over nearly everyone.
Yo the banana peels are carefully placed! So keep your shell toes carefully laced!
The illest NGH got peppered and mased! Now amplify this. Turn up the bass!