Indie Darling Donald Trump Mixes Shoegaze, Techno And Ultranationalist Fascism
When Kendrick Lamar wrapped up his epic 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly with a mock conversation with the legendary Tupac Shakur, he wasn't just speaking to the late rapper, he was speaking to all of America. Shakur may not have been alive when he heard Lamar read his poem about the dangers of fame in a rabid society unaware of its racist past and present, but Americans listened. We listened to Kendrick and got inspired.
Donald J. Trump ("Home Alone 2: Lost in New York") was clearly inspired by Kendrick; look no further than Trump's new single "Justice for All," which blends spoken word with clean, modern production. Of course, Trump's overarching message of fighting the noble fight for equality isn't what he's doing to pimp butterflies . It is indeed a symbol of the forces and institutions that necessitated such an ugly struggle for basic civil liberties in the first place. However, Trump partially offsets his racist leanings with some absolutely gorgeous compositional platforms that give Justice For All a cool, spacey vibe. Trump may be new to the music scene, but it's inspiring to see his deep devotion to the pop and shoegaze legends before him, from the Cocteau Twins and Slowdive to Beach House and Alvays.
Along with his synthesizers, Trump auditions for "The Star Spangled Banner" by the J6 Prison Choir, made up of inmates serving time for their alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. When it comes to playing their national anthem, the J6 Prison Choir is no Jimi Hendrix or Whitney Houston. In fact, their rendition of the song is fairly sparse overall, with little redeeming quality. Still, Trump uses his keen ear to sample, a reluctance to weave prisoners into a Tammy Impala-esque pledge of allegiance to channel a sublime (if perhaps over-the-top) aesthetic. - Prisoners' voices are incredibly distorted and sound like they were recorded on a Bass Pro Shop game camera, not studio equipment (although this may be the best you can find within the confines of a prison). It's refreshing, if downright surprising, to see Trump pay tribute to the jazz-poetry genius of the Scott Heron generation, to see our leader of the 45th intellectual anti-reason neocon.
Since his rise to fame, Trump has been portrayed in the media from almost every possible angle. But with Justice for All, Trump takes over and reveals another intimate side of himself: Donald Trump scouring indie music forums for the latest Bandcamp releases each week; Donald Trump, who took out a small loan of $1 million from his father at a flea market and bought a MacBook with Ableton, a Juno synth and a 909 to launch his music career; Donald Trump, who grew up in the acid rave scene of the 1980s, wants to bring those golden days into the 21st century . And Donald Trump is chasing his incredible dreams of making it big in the music industry.
Jack Moeser, Senior Art Editor, can be reached at jmoeser@umich.edu .