EXCLUSIVE: L-FRESH The LION Explores Racism In Part Two Of 'Becoming One'

Having unveiled the first part of the exclusive Becoming One series last week, L-FRESH The LION has dropped the second portion of the series. Currently doing the rounds on regional festival Groovin The Moo, part two of Becoming One explores racism, alienation and the real enemy.

“Try living in a home where every day, you’re made to feel like a visitor” – lyrics from song titled Be Cool by L-FRESH The LION from his newest album, BECOME.

The stage is my home.

There’s no greater feeling than being able to rock a show. It’s up on stage, with a mic in my hand, where I feel truly happy. It’s where I am able to express my authentic self without any reservations.

So you could imagine the shock I received when I saw and heard demeaning, negative and racist remarks directed towards me from people in the audience when I jumped on stage during my very first national tour back in 2009.

That was my welcome to tour life.

I had just turned 21. I was excited to be a part of a huge national tour, playing support for some hip hop giants. And there I was, before I had even opened my mouth, being ridiculed. I didn’t know how to react or respond.

Looking back, I think to myself, if this can happen on stage, a space where I feel like I’m at home, then this can happen anywhere.

But it doesn’t start and end there. There’s after the show, sometimes dealing with ignorant punters, and travelling to and from a show, being constantly treated as a suspect at airports by fellow passengers and security.

I don’t share these experiences to attract sympathy. I tell them because they exist. And it’s what I have to deal with as a professional artist, and as a human being.

I get frustrated by it all. But it’s not the experiences themselves that frustrate me most. Rather, it is the systems that exist, which allow for experiences like these to happen on a regular basis. That’s the real enemy, right there.

I draw strength from the stories of my ancestors, who had to endure much greater challenges than me. For them, their outward expression of their identity was enough for them to be targeted for prison and/or death. But they never shied way from those challenges. There was no fear. Instead, it strengthened their resolve.

My people have never been victims. They have always been heroes.

Check out Part 2 of the Becoming One video series on our website as L-FRESH The LION walks us through the stories behind his new album, BECOME. You can pre-order BECOME at www.L-FRESH.com.