“Hashtag BLM,” the latest single from Nova Scotian rapper Tachichi, was recorded in July of 2020. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by on-duty Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, not to mention a few centuries of systemic racism and oppression, tensions had reached a snapping point. Now, with the release of this single nearly a year later, Tachichi reminds all of us that little has changed, least of all the message: Black Lives Matter.
“I can’t lie, this track is fueled off of anger and emotion. I just decided to express myself with my art as a form of therapy,” says Tachichi. “Hopefully, the message can be seen as a positive truth that we are all responsible for being part of the solution. But the message, of course, remains the same: BLACK LIVES MATTER. Every day and all day, my friend.
“There is still a war going on out here and innocent victims are losing to police and government abuse of power and systemic racism.”
While many called for the defunding or, at the very least, the restructuring of police forces across North America—including that of the Halifax Regional Police—the complications of the pandemic has made enacting new policies, shifting funding to community resources, and tracking legitimate change… complicated. The Halifax Board of Police Commissioners went so far as to appoint former Halifax poet laureate El Jones to define what “defunding the police” even means. Jones is expected to present her proposal sometime later this month.
In the meantime, Tachichi says the movement played a valuable role in creating awareness, but it also came at a cost.
“I think people are more aware, which potentially can lead to things being better theoretically, but there is also a lot of push back and violence just from the BLM movement being at the forefront last year,” says Tachichi. “With this pandemic going on as well it’s hard to get an accurate outlook and intelligent viewpoint. I’m hopeful and believe we are better humans than what we’ve shown historically.”
The song itself features two more legends of Nova Scotia: DJ and record producer Skratch Bastid and Nova Scotia’s Queen of all things Reggae, Jah’Mila.
“It is always great working my guy Bastid. We’ve been doing it for years so that was easy. He’s usually a very busy man but the pandemic gave him a little more time on his hands so we could get it done,” says Tachichi. “Jah’Mila had a song she had put out earlier last year that had the same unity vibe so that was the inspiration for getting her to do the hook. She wrote it herself and killed it herself then sent it back to me.
“It’s easy to work with friends!”
“Hashtag BLM” is the first single to be released off of Tachichi’s upcoming album, Gremmy Sip, which is being released on vinyl, CD, and tape on July 9, 2021, via Sipset and Black Buffalo Records. Pfizer willing, there will be a release party at Halifax’s The Derby (The Marquee) on Saturday, July 30.