"Land of the Free" is a song by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

recording artist Joey Bada$$. It was released on January 20, 2017, by

Pro Era Pro Era (short for Progressive Era) is an American hip-hop Musical collective, collective from Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. The group is a collective of Rapping, rappers and record producers that includes East Coast hip hop, East Coast ...

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 Badass, Joey Bada$$, Pro Era, T-Pain, Smoke DZA, ...

, as the second single from his second studio album, '' ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$''. 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 Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the ...

and Adam Pallin.

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 the future, 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 is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. He performed the song on

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

. 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 KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

members standing before a burning cross."

References

2017 songs 2017 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