Jackson Whalan and John Lennon Have a Hip-Hoppin’, Social Justice Message for You
Jackson Whalan describes himself as “a lyricist and producer creating eclectic hip-hop with a modern flair to invoke positive societal change.” A Great Barrington, Mass. native, he started rapping when he was only nine years old. Even then, he sensed the art form was a way to channel his anger about social injustice, and looked to spread positive messages through his music to his listeners
At 17, Whalan performed at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on International Peace Day, a “a youth conference,” Whalan says, “for people all over the world from non-governmental organizations and youth leadership positions.” This would only be just the start for Whalan. Even now, his music covers everything timely: climate change, social justice, corrupt politics, the greedy one percent, and other issues.
Whalan studied the environment and sustainability in India during his last year of college at The New School. For three months, he focused on traveling and educating himself on sustainability, resulting in a momentary pause in his music career. But upon his return home, with a clear mind and plenty of ambition, he realized exactly what he wanted to do. As his band, Technicolor Lenses, began to fizzle out, he took a leap of faith into starting his own solo music career. But rather than performing at music festivals or continuing the electronic or jam band type of music he had been doing prior, he returned to relaying positive messages about social justice through hip-hop.
Since then, Whalan has spent the last seven years fully invested in his solo career and using his voice to make a positive impact on his audience. He’s gone on a couple of national tours, and has spent a lot of his time working in the recording studio in the Berkshires with SubStation owner/producer/musician, Robby Baier, whom he considers his mentor. For almost the past year, Whalan has released a new single each month, which brings us now to a fresh and exciting moment in Whalan’s career.
Tomorrow (June 26), Whalan will release his first-ever cover single, “Gimme Some Truth” by John Lennon, along with a music video he has created to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I feel that if John Lennon was alive today, he would be very supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement,” Whalan says. “Not only do I want to show the same support, but I also want to join the song with that movement, and in a more general sense, with social justice.”
Whalan decided to record the tune in February, thinking of the impacts of COVID-19 and the current administration, but says he never would have guessed then that we would be where we are now: protesting across the world in the name of human rights for Black lives. But it all came together when Whalan heard that friend and photojournalist Jake Borden would be boarding a plane to Minneapolis to cover the protests days after George Floyd was murdered.
Whalan and Borden made a deal. If Borden agreed to share some of the footage with Whalan, Whalan would happily provide him a ride to the airport. Now, the video to “Gimme Some Truth” would revolve around the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Whether you're a writer, a reporter, a photographer, a musician, whatever your strongest gift is,” says Whalan, “you should give that gift to the movement right now, so I'm definitely offering my music as a backdrop to the media that needs to get put out.”
In the video, Whalan explains, “There’s one shot with me in a red room, and I'm having my own internal freak out about what's going on in the world, and there's a TV there in the room, and I’m losing it because I've been filling my mind with all the stuff that's happening, and I can't handle it anymore. Then, there's me out protesting alone, because of quarantine and social distancing, but then there's footage of the protestors and what’s actually happening in the world right now.”
Like many of us, Whalan says he’s learned a lot recently.
“I agree that silence equals violence,” he says. “It's important we understand that we have to be open to learning, because our intentions may be really good, but we all have our blind spot. We have to find the most respectful way to share our solidarity. And that's been the most important thing to me out of all of this, as someone who is white, who wants to support the movement and supports an anti-racist agenda.”
Whalan’s cover single, “Gimme Some Truth,” will be available on all streaming platforms as of June 26, along with the music video, which will be accessible on YouTube.
Please Support Rural Intelligence
We want to continue delivering the entertaining, informative and upbeat stories in the inimitable Rural Intelligence style, despite a pandemic. But we need your support to keep us going. Please consider making a donation; even a small amount helps secure our future. Support us now.
(If you prefer, mail a check to: 45 Pine Grove Ave., Suite 303, Kingston, NY 12401.)
Support Now