Who’s the Prisoner Here?
CMST 245
Winter 2022
By Brandon Greathouse
The media I chose was Lupe Fiasco’s “Prisoner 1 & 2” from the album “Tetsuo & Youth.” The song follows two distinctly different paths, one of the prisoner’s and the other of the guard. This song focuses on the ideologies of institutional racism and capitalism. As a black male, the song has relevance to me as it references the New Jim Crow. Lupe has been known for embedding multiple narratives within his music, and this song is no different.
Growing up, I moved around quite a bit as my father was in the Army. This frequent shuffling often left me as the only black guy in a room, so I never found out about the new Jim Crow and other acts of institutional racism until later in life. Following my father’s time in the Army, both of my parents worked in corrections for a number of years as means to pay the bills. Their everyday experiences echo that of what the guard in prisoner 2 experienced. The reality is that you are selling your time to be in corrections watching those who, in some cases, never leave. Contrary to the guard in the song, my parents never built a sense of resentment toward inmates and treated them with respect and humanity, celebrating their release and hoping never to see them again.
The song, split into two sections, depicts the experience of individuals jailed either physically or mentally and the experience of the guard trapped by a career. Both songs begin with a collect-call automation by Securus, placing you outside of the song’s narrative. The first chorus echoes the feeling of both states of being “Visitor, visitor, prisoner, prisoner, land.” While the second is what the guard hears, whether from society, a coworker, or a superior. This song speaks on institutional racism and the capitalistic ideologies plaguing the correction system.
Prisoner 1 begins by stating various narratives that land the man in prison. By the end of verse one, we find a man is sentenced to two life sentences, and any of the potential actions could have led him there. Verse two chronicles his prison experience from force-feeding during hunger strikes, finding religion as the guards raid their cells, and studying law to prove he is not like those he shares a space with. Verse three narrates the man’s terror as he fears sexual assault by his cellmates and slowly drifts out of sanity, hoping to one day escape the coming electric chair.
The song reflects that story on Prisoner 2 with the guard’s experience. Starting with the framing of the prison system’s creation in this nation. The brief history sets the attitude toward the system and gives context to the guard’s perspective. Verse two takes a different approach and sheds light on the guard’s history, where he’s from, how long he’s been a guard, and his overall emotional state.
Prisoner 1 paints how discrimination leads to the New Jim Crow. While Prisoner 2 gives voice to the flawed origin of the system and shows how capitalism plays a pivotal role. Prisoner 1 contains the prisoner’s narrative, which is rife with black cultural references. A write up by EddDoloroso breaks down the first stanza of the first verse:
“Best laid plan, make a mess, made,
Damnation, let’s play hands, sans spades,
That’s without, a boycott and a sit-out,
Afro-Black pick in with a fist out,
From the “Welcome Home” to the kick-out”
Edd believes that this stands as the history of slavery in the United States of America. Where enslaved people were brought for the labor of industry and agriculture, but when they earned their rights, the nation had a mess on its hands and had to play the cards they were dealt. From the very beginning of the song, Lupe is bringing attention to the economics of the early nation. Furthermore, it provides background to who he’s talking about. “Afro-black pick in with a fist out” and “a boycott and a sit-out” are well-known in the black community as the boycotts and sit-outs were used in the late ’50s to protest segregation. While the verse “From the Welcome Home to the kick out” talks about how enslaved people were purchased, brought to an entirely new land, “welcome home,” and then after getting their rights, it was time for them to go “the kick out.”
When the song changes to prisoner 2 a poem by Lupe’s sister is presented reading:
“The orange wings of the new Jim Crow are dyed Klansman sheets and court papers, Dreadlocks nooses hang from his neck as the new Jim Crow Corporations feed him seeds, yet unborn
He’ll be captured by Mya, in a ruby-encrusted cage
I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and answers that I leave in empty pages to be written. Where is your pen? The new Jim Crow “
This poem acts to ground the song in the reality that it is in before diving into the dichotomy of the guard’s experience and the voice of the industry. In the paper written by Brett Verby he points out the apparent hint within the title that there are two different prisoners. However, he carries on to explain that the hook, the intro and interlude of the song, is explicitly used to show that in both narratives the individuals are still imprisoned. From the perspective of the guard he had little options other than work in the prison because he lives in a small town with few well-paying jobs. Having to choose between a job at the prison and not having electricity, the man goes to work angry every day. Meanwhile, in society, he’s watching the black community grow smarter, stronger, and more importantly a metaphorical escape. This imposes a fit of jealousy toward the inmates as his career choice confines him to a higher level than the inmates seeing that he chose to be there. The layers of binding that the guard experiences can be sourced to capitalism. One must work to survive, even if that means working in a place that you do not enjoy. Beyond this, the system of imprisonment in the United States was largely for profit, making it just as much of a business that traps him. This circular feeling is channeled to the inmates as he uses his authority to fight and beat them.
Over the past few years, prison reform has become a significant topic and change has been seen. With for-profit prisons closing throughout the nation and increased liberties are being offered to ex-cons, we celebrate victories. However, we must also consider the experience of the guard. Guards should have access to counselors and therapists. They work in a hostile environment every day, with the only relief being the end of shift and days off. There should be a place where guards can go to speak to someone who once shared their experience. There should be annual reviews to ensure that the guard is still fit to perform their job with a healthy mindset. Furthermore, this should be offered outside of their compensation package. I recall my mother getting into an altercation with an inmate and experiencing a sort of “edginess” toward the inmates. I recall her saying that week was very stressful because she felt like she was always waiting for something to happen. There was no one to speak to other than her coworkers, who weren’t offering helpful advice.
In closing, Lupe Fiasco’s Prisoner 1 & 2 shows that prison is entrapment for more than just the inmates. One must consider the guard who doesn’t desire to be there, as confined as those they watch. Then we must recognize that the prison system historically has not been fair to the black community. Trailing back to the times of slavery the injustice toward the black community has been converted into the New Jim Crow. We as a society should hold the system of imprisonment to the values it set, to reform/recondition and release.