{"id":8772,"date":"2020-10-02T02:26:25","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T02:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=8772"},"modified":"2023-11-27T12:41:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T12:41:08","slug":"social-reflections-on-the-musikblogg-misstankt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/social-reflections-on-the-musikblogg-misstankt\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Reflections on the Musikblogg- “Misst\u00e4nkt”"},"content":{"rendered":"

For this month\u2019s music highlight, we\u2019re returning to a theme that I touched on in the blog earlier this summer – what do conversations of racial and social inequality look like in Sweden? Looking to a culture\u2019s music will often tell you. This post will cover the collaboration between Swedish artists, rapper Timbuktu and songstress Seinabo Sey, this week with the song \u201cMisst\u00e4nkt \/ Suspected.\u201d <\/span>
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Let\u2019s set the scene and meet the talented folks sharing their perspectives this week. I\u2019ll provide a quick bio of each artist as well as some external links to click on if you\u2019re interested in learning more about them. <\/span>
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Jason \u201cTimbuktu\u201d Diakit\u00e9<\/strong><\/span><\/a> was born and raised in Lund, Sweden to American parents. An acclaimed writer <\/span>and rapper, he\u2019s earned 8 Swedish Grammy Awards. Being a biracial Swedish rapper with roots in the American South has given Jason a unique lived experience to say the least. He explores his family history and confronts challenging topics like the duality and being black in Sweden in his highly-acclaimed 2016 memoir, <\/span>En droppe midnatt<\/span><\/i><\/a>, translated to <\/span>A Drop of Midnight<\/span><\/i> by Rachel Willson-Broyles. This year, joined by Swedish celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, he started a podcast to cover these topics at the wake of the events sparked by the pandemic and the killing of George Floyd called \u201c<\/span>This Moment.<\/span><\/a>\u201d
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Seinabo Sey<\/strong><\/span><\/a> is featured on this track and although she is one of my favorite Swedish vocalists – you haven\u2019t <\/span>met her on this blog yet because it’s rare that she signs in Swedish! She was born in S\u00f6dermalm, to a Swedish mother and Gambian father Maudo Sey, a well-known musician in West Africa. Before the age of 30, she’s reached international success in with chart-topping songs like \u201cYounger,\u201d and “I Owe You Nothing.” She’s earned Swedish Grammys for \u201cBest Newcomer\u201d in 2015 and “Album of the Year” in 2018. After winning in 2015, she gave a powerful performance of her song \u201c<\/span>Hard Time<\/span><\/a>\u201d to a standing ovation.\u00a0 This year, Seinabo is nominated for the <\/span>2020 Nordic Council Music Prize<\/span><\/a>, awarded to \u201cinnovative\u201d artists who are \u201chighly technical and artistic.\u201d<\/span>
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Swedish-Kenyan artist Beldina<\/a><\/strong> Nyadwe<\/strong> is also featured on this track. Singing on pop tracks for some of the biggest names in Swedish music, and modeling for Elle Sweden and brands like Adidas, Beldina was a vibrant contributor to Sweden\u2019s art and music scene before she sadly passed away in 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our song of the week, \u201c<\/span>Misst\u00e4nkt<\/span><\/i>\u201d means \u201cSuspected\u201d – a feeling that united these three musicians. The lyrics re-tell Jason\u2019s experiences of racial profiling including police stops, security guards mocking him by making monkey sounds, and raising the question that rings all too often in the ears in non-white Swedes, \u201c<\/span>Var kommer du ifr\u00e5n egentligen? <\/span><\/i>What are you really from?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason makes it clear that it\u2019s not with <\/span>bitterhet<\/span><\/i> (bitterness) he\u2019s sharing this message, it\u2019s just <\/span>verklighet <\/span><\/i>(reality), and a part of his <\/span>\u00e4rftlighet <\/span><\/i>(heritage). Remember our -het<\/em> suffix<\/a> from last week?! Feeling both <\/span>arg<\/span><\/i> (angry), and also <\/span>upprymd<\/span><\/i> (in high spirits), Jason’s text says he’s inspired to spark change by representing not only himself but the experience of people all over the globe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This 2014 performance of “Misst\u00e4nkt”<\/strong> was in Stortorget in central Malm\u00f6 in the south of Sweden. <\/span>Sveriges radio estimated that between 20-30,000<\/span><\/a> people gathered to see Timbuktu at the annual Malm\u00f6festivalen. With over 75,000 views on this video alone, here are some comments of Swedes who connected with this song\u2019s message and commented on YouTube:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Klockren text, beskriver hur jag o m\u00e5nga andra k\u00e4nner \ud83d\ude42 b\u00e4sta jason levererar alltid\u00a0<\/em>
\n<\/span>Brilliant text, describes how I and many others feel \ud83d\ude42 Jason is the best and always delivers<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Tung. Tung. Tung. Big up Timbuk! Du sk\u00e4nker lite ljus i ett m\u00f6rker av ignorans kopplad till rasism. Beldina och framf\u00f6r allt Seinabo Sey \u00e4r ocks\u00e5 riktigt bra i den h\u00e4r l\u00e5ten
\n<\/span><\/em>Heavy. Heavy. Heavy. Big up Timbuk! You\u2019re shedding a bit of light in the darkness of ignorance and racism. Belinda and of course Seinabo Sey are also really great in this song. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Hoppas Jason och hans regering snart styr Sverige
\n<\/span><\/em>Hope Jason and his government will soon lead Sweden.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The lyrics are below the video. Enjoy!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n