“Black Martyr” Artwork

For a band that’s found its niche at the crossroads of influence from industrial metal, hip-hop, and electronic experimentation, CAMP BLOOD never ceases to surprise. And for a band that has such a penchant for the explosive – in their beats and in their lyrical content that consistently takes systemic oppression to task – they know how to keep their fanbase waiting with baited breath. Their debut self-titled EP from 2019 makes for a quick, four track listen that will have you hitting repeat, both for its infectious instrumentation that feels like a future dystopian drag race and for the lyrical one-two punch of Haasan Barclay and Shaka Dendy. 

Since the CAMP BLOOD EP dropped, the duo has released a handful of singles: “Trap,” “21 Shots,” and “Cenobite;” plus “Psalms 23,” a collab with Polaris Prize winner Backxwash. Now, they’ve returned with “Black Martyr” (via AWAL), which might be their most intense, affecting track yet. At first, the track’s 5/4 time signature makes it stand out; you can tell this is not a standard beat, even for a group that’s built a reputation on getting pretty loose with its grooves. Without diving too much into the dryness of theory, hearing something that deviates from the standard 4/4 patterns of most pop music is an effective way to subvert listener expectations. And subverting expectations is kinda a big part of CAMP BLOOD’s schtick. Plus, it is one of the band’s best showcases of Barclay and Dendy’s lyrical capabilities, striking the perfect balance between their technical abilities as individual rappers and their razor-sharp eye for social commentary. 

 “Black Martyr” continues the pattern of subversion in its lyrical themes, directly commenting on American society’s history of violence against and public perception of Black people. The song paints a vivid picture of an oppressive system designed against the well-being African-Americans. In the past decade, there have been so many disturbing examples of these acts of violence made visible to the public eye. The track’s explosive chorus graphically depicts elements that entail a public lynching, and sections of the verses take on the trend of mass incarceration. 

But “Black Martyr” begs us to ask what we are not seeing and why American society at all levels – from national politics to mainstream media outlets to the general public itself – seems to demand silence from Black people even when they are trying to speak out against their own oppression. About the track, Haasan Barclay said “Black people deserve to be open in their anger towards the system that disenfranchises them,” while Shaka Dendy added that “even more haunting than being publicly lynched, or the fear in witnessing one, is being disappeared. That uncertainty has a lingering impact on those who knew you.” 

Stream “Black Martyr” via Spotify below (or on the streaming service of your choice), and, for good measure, take a revisit (or first visit if you’re a n00b) through the rest of their catalogue, too.