"Land of the Free" is a song by American hip hop recording artist

Joey Bada$$ Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro ...

. It was released on January 20, 2017, by

Pro Era Pro Era (short for The Progressive Era) is an American hip hop collective group from Brooklyn, New York. The group is a collective of rappers and record producers that includes East Coast rappers Joey Badass, CJ Fly, Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution ...

and

Cinematic Music Group Cinematic Music Group is an American record label, management, publishing & touring company distributed by Geffen Records founded in 2007 by Jonny Shipes. Their roster as of 2020 consists of Joey Bada$$, Pro Era, T-Pain, Smoke DZA, Va$htie, Mic ...

, as the second single from his second studio album, ''

All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ ''All-Amerikkkan Badass'' (stylized as ''ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$'') is the second studio album by American rapper Joey Badass. It was released on April 7, 2017, through Pro Era Records and Cinematic Music Group. The album features guest appearances ...

''. The song was produced by

Kirk Knight Kirlan Labarrie (born November 16, 1995), better known by his stage name Kirk Knight, is an American record producer, rapper and member of the hip hop collective Pro Era. His debut project, ''Late Knight Special ''Late Knight Special'' is the ...

and

Adam Pallin Adam Pallin, also known by his stage name 1-900, is an American record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the producer/programmer half of the pop duo Little Jackie with Imani Coppola. His production and songwriting often blend ...

Background and release

In an interview with

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

, Joey Bada$$ spoke on the release of the song, saying it was a "triple significance". He said his fans know about his interest to "play with dates" and he thought it was the "perfect" timing since it was his birthday, the second anniversary of his debut album and the inauguration of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. He performed the song on

the Late Show With Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

. The song was seen as a political statement by Bada$$ on Donald Trump, as one of the lines in the lyrics contained "Sorry, America, but I will not be your soldier. Obama just wasn't enough – I need some more closure". His view on Trump is also addressed more directly through the following lyric, "And Donald Trump is not equipped to take this country over."

Music video

The song's accompanying music video, co-directed by Bada$$ and Nathan Smith, was released on March 6, 2017 on Pro Era's YouTube account. In the video, Bada$$, in a windy meadow at a desert, alternates between speaking to a group of children and standing in solidarity with a group of adults with their chained hands, following with a firing squad consisting of police officers and businessmen, who shoot several of the prisoners. The video concludes with

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

members standing before a burning cross."

References

2016 songs 2016 singles Joey Badass songs Songs about Donald Trump Songs written by Joey Badass Songs written by Adam Pallin Cinematic Music Group singles {{2010s-hiphop-single-stub