#Salute Rebecca Ferguson for refusing her invitation to play Donald Trump‘s inaugural ball — unless she can sing Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit.”
We’re with you, Rebecca X.
And if The Donald is real enough to oblige, we have a few more musical suggestions that might help re-define his already tarnished presidency and maybe, just maybe, make America great for once.
___
Donald Trump’s Inaugural Playlist 2017
___
#1. “Strange Fruit” – Billie Holiday via Rebecca Ferguson
Billie Holiday‘s eulogy to the countless black bodies lynched in the Jim Crow south and beyond has been called “The first great protest song.”
___
#2. “Blood On The Leaves/All Falls Down” – Kanye West & Lauryn Hill
If the Old Kanye spits the line “Even if you in a Benz, you still a nigga in coop,” in the White House, Trump probably won’t get it or even hear it. But maybe the New Kanye will.
And if Lauryn never shows up, at least we’ll have a good idea why.
___
#3. “If I Ruled The World” – Nas, Lauryn Hill & Kurtis Blow
If Lauryn does show, she should bring Nas and Kurtis Blow for an inter-generational rendition of “If I Ruled The World.”
Nas might come if they let him spark a blunt on the White House lawn, but would he be able to get in Trump’s ear about opening every cell from Rikers to Attica?
Either way, the Donald would also be wise to take advice from the O.G. Kurtis Blow’s original rendition.
His opening line, “I’d make peace in every culture, build the homeless a home,” might sound too pacifist and communist for America’s capitalist spirit. But we’ll see how many Trump voters are singing and clapping along with Kurtis when they can’t get healthcare or birth control and they’re slaving off America’s debts to the Chinese.
___#4 “We All Try” – Frank Ocean
“I still believe in Man. A wise one asked me, ‘Why?’ ‘Cause, I just don’t believe we’re wicked, I know that we sin, but I do believe we try. We all try.” – Frank Ocean
4. Death Certificate – Ice Cube
#5. “Respect” – Aretha Franklin
Donald obviously needs a refresher course on the general principle of respect. And he will definitely get one if he tries to grab Queen Aretha by the anything. Best believe that secret service wouldn’t be able to remove Re-Re’s microphone from The Donald’s behind. And C-SPAN would have ownership of the most valuable viral video of all time.
___
#6. “We Should All Be Feminists” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
#7. “What Means The World To You?” – Cam’Ron
This is an important question for the future leader of the free world to consider. What really means the world to Trump? Money? Fame? Melania and the kids? The future Commander-In-Chief might just get along well with the Dipset Capo given their effortless cult appeal and shared talent for political incorrectness.
Who knows? Donald could end up having Killa and Juelz Santana help design ultra-patriotic uniforms for the military or console wounded soldiers.
Or, Trump could offer Cam a position as a media mercenary to deal with Megyn Kelly, The New York Times and whoever else antagonizes him during his term.
Never forget how masterfully Cam handled Bill O’Reilly and Anderson Cooper back in the day.
#8. “Relax, Don’t Do It” – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
#9. “Follow The Leader/Ain’t No Half-Steppin” – Eric B., Rakim & Big Daddy Kane
#10. “No Air” – Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks
Trump and his old boys won’t be here in a few decades to deal with the toxic remnants of the Industrial Revolution. But maybe the angelic voices of Jordin and Chris will remind him to consider the future, if only for long enough to let a scientist explain the reality of climate change.
___
#11. “Black Republican” – Jay Z & Nas
#12. “A Woman’s Threat” – R. Kelly
Whether it’s Melania, Hillary or his small handful of ex-wives, Trump has a lot of ladies who have the right to be pissed off with him.
#13. “On & On” – Erykah Badu
A reminder that this world was here before The Donald and will be here long after him.
“Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learned, if your knowledge were your wealth then it would be well-earned… The man that knows something knows that he knows nothing at all, does it seem colder in your summer time and warmer in your fall?… You rush into destruction cause you don’t have nothing left, the mothership can’t save you so your ass is gon’ get left.”
#14. “Survival Of The Fittest” – Mobb Deep
Prodigy‘s infamous line, “There’s a war going on outside no man is safe from, it don’t matter if you’re three-feet or eight one,” applies to this President more than any before him.
#15. “No Flex Zone” – Rae Sremmurd
Trump will never be able to ball as outrageously as the world’s true oil tycoons and royal families. And he wouldn’t want any problems with real tyrants like Putin or our any third-world dictators if they met face to face.
#16. “9 AM In Dallas” – Drake
“Scared for the first time, everything has clicked, what if I don’t really the numbers they predict?/Considering the fact that I’m the one they just picked to write a chapter in history, this shit has got me sick.” – Drake circa 2009
16 Performances We’d Like to See at Donald Trump’s Inauguration was originally published on globalgrind.com