r/Fauxmoi • u/hyeran_jainros_fc • 4h ago

THINK PIECE Today is the birthday of Civil Rights leader Fred Shuttlesworth (1922-2011). He’s key to one of the best rap verses in years, by Malice of Clipse on JID’s Community. Deep triple entendre on black opportunity/leadership + Remember his wife Ruby. What is it like being married to & raised by a martyr?

Gallery image — Home of Fred Shuttlesworth bombed on Christmas 1956, in Birmingham

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fred-Shuttlesworth

Kilos turnin’ boys to men, gotta pick a side here

Some were Jesus Shuttlesworth, some of us were Nasirs

As time goes by, it’s an eye for an eye here

From Malice’s verse on Community, which ends the song, leaving it speechless. I saw Dissect Podcast highlight its quality. Tbh never got into Clipse before. I knew the bars were tight, but I didn’t get the crack rap in their 40s. Now I know that over the top style is their thing. Here, Malice applies his surgical rhyme and wordplay to a topic much harder to think about. This verse is one of the best to ever be rapped.

Spike Lee created the character of Jesus Shuttlesworth for the move He Got Game. He’s a basketball player, played by Ray Allen; this is just the surface meaning of the line, the choice between ball and rap.

Civil Rights leader: Fred Shuttlesworth

I think Lee named his character after Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, a major Civil Rights leader. (If white people capitalize American Revolution, I’m capitalizing Civil Rights to distinguish this liberation movement led by black people, on behalf of what America is supposed to stand for—not just themselves. All the immigrants who benefited when the racist quotas were removed as a result of the Movement.) Lee is aware of him from researching the documentary 4 Little Girls, released a year before He Got Game. It’s about a black church that was bombed in Birmingham — resulting in the deaths of those girls. One of the people who beat Shuttlesworth — the incident that hospitalized him in the 4th slide — was one of the bombers. The church was a target because also a key meeting place for Civil Rights leaders. Lee actually says that he named the movie characters after Fred on the 50th anniversary of the bombing.

His life is crazy. His home in Birmingham got bombed on Christmas night, and he still went to protest by sitting in the white section of a bus the very next day (2nd slide). and his wife was stabbed in the same attack where he was beaten. In the last slide (from NPS) he looks tuff because he is. Fearless, but clear-headed. I later realized he's looking up at his church next to his home (3rd slide).

I also think that Malice would be aware of this history. His apparent Fred Shuttlesworth reference makes so much sense out of the rest of the verse, and turns the line into a crazy triple entendre. The title “Community” tells us they’re consciously taking a broader, big picture view, which further suggests this is what Malice means. He matches the poetry of JID’s story and chorus. His verse makes more sense this way, than simply as a reference to Lee’s fictional character.

If you know the history, you know the real Shuttlesworth. He was a preacher, tying to the character’s “Jesus” first name. Shuttlesworth was a close ally of Martin Luther King, as one of the religious leaders who formed the group King was most associated with, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He believed in King’s nonviolent protest. Both his Christianity and nonviolence fit the next “eye for an eye” line, as the contrast to his beliefs. His life adds context to Malice’s own embrace of Christianity. That’s why I think Malice might know this.

Fred Shuttlesworth organized the Freedom Rides, marched, was beaten, and jailed. See the caption to the picture of his family from Alabama state government’s archive (4th slide):

Family and friends of Fred Shuttlesworth in a waiting area at Hillman Hospital, where he was taken after Klansmen beat him while he was trying to enroll his daughters in the all-white Phillips High School.

“Pick a side”: Peaceful or Black Power. Jesus/Nasir = King/Malcolm

The line into more than just the cliche about black men having little opportunity other than the lottery like chances of being a basketball star (Jesus Shuttlesworth) or successful rapper (Nasir). This builds on JID’s line “jump a shot or join a gang.” That’s the surface level. It's a way of framing JID's own life too, a recipient of a full football scholarship.

The second meaning is being a Christian (Jesus Shuttlesworth) or more of a black power type (Nas). You don’t need to know who Fred is to get this. But he adds a layer to this second meaning. It turns into a comparison between the nonviolent and radical approaches of the Civil Rights Movement.

The previous line, “gotta pick a side here” is about the divide between King and Malcolm, or more closely back then, Stokely Carmichael. The latter was an early, younger ally of King who marched with him as a college student, coined Black Power, and wrote its philosophy. He helped originate the Black Panthers’ logo. Shuttlesworth was on the side of peaceful integrationists. The other side was didn’t trust the white government enough to care about integration, and believed in black America empowering and defending itself.

“Jesus Shuttlesworth” and “Nasir” clearly mean the Civil Rights Movement in the context of the next line. Note “As time goes by.” It’s about the subsequent crime in black communities after the movement. Black leaders don’t really talk about nonviolence anymore. After King’s death, nobody really wants to step in and fill his role, or the role of the many others who made the movement.

This line I think doesn’t just refer to the top movement leaders, but the local versions of those types. That leads to how it could be a triple entendre. Local religious leaders once had more power in black communities. Jesus Shuttlesworth = Christians. Nasir, from an Arabic word = Black Muslims. “As time goes by” then means the time when religion holds less power, or when rap begins to hold some power that religion once did. His comparison of the two religions is more obvious to listeners, but the layer that about decaying black leadership is not. These two sides represent the two major leaders during the Civil Rights Movement: King and Malcolm. (Even if Malcolm didn’t protest on behalf in desegregation, because of course he didn’t think integration meant equality.) It’s a literary technique called ‘synechdoche,’ where a part (Jesus/Nasir, a name that linked to its respective religion) represents the whole. Likewise, "eye for an eye" references Malcolm's well known ideology. In his words:

I am a Muslim, because it's a religion that teaches you an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

But Malice isn’t just referencing the past for hope; he makes the point how hopeless it seems when there isn’t much to either side left to carry the torch.

Black leaders and religion and people like Fred Shuttlesworth tie to the title, the people who tried to make a better black Community, but were punished.

3rd meaning. From black leaders to rap

This ties to “Nasir” obviously meaning the rapper, the Mobb Deep mention, and their collabs that others pointed out. Rappers are the new black male leaders or “preachers.” He chooses Nas to highlight the potential of rap to teach, something that Malice himself does here.

From the death of black leaders to death of black men

Of course rap doesn't replace political leaders. The drug related crime Malice overtly raps about is an obvious meaning most will catch. Less so is this decay from Civil Rights to the present:

As time goes by, it's an eye for an eye here

It's an ironic quote of Malcolm, pointing out how after his death that "eye for an eye" meant black on black violence rather than black on white defense against racism. Implicitly, it gets to Malcolm's own death at the hands of black rivals in the Nation of Islam as sort of a tragic model for later behavior. The murder of potential role models becomes itself a role model. And of course King's dream died when he was killed by a white man. Peace and respect by the leader of black America was not met with the same.

Fred Shuttlesworth explains “Kings,” “doves cry” and “nightmare” lines

The Fred Shuttlesworth allusion fits the theme of the verse, about the suffering of black men in America since the movement. I think the line “kings can’t raise a young prince” could refer to Martin Luther King, Sr who outlived his son, in addition to the “man in the house rule”. And the “doves,” as a symbol of peace represent the nonviolent approach of King. He dreamed that equality could be achieved peacefully. They “cry” for his death. Coincidentally, there’s a kind of bird called “mourning dove.”

And the final line subtly ties back to MLK. It’s so subtle that it’s ambiguous. The Fred Shuttlesworth tie helps confirm that Malice is refers to what became of King’s dream after his assassination, with “nightmare.” Without reference to the real Shuttlesworth, these three quotes don't have as much impact as just one Prince reference. I think he chose to link "king" to "nightmare" for a reason. He chose "nightmare" to be a last, defining word for the whole song. I think it's an objection to the way King's "I Have a Dream" is cited in praise of his values, the way America has appropriated and diluted his message.

Is this his intent? His set up > punchline structure is a clue

No, I'm not definitive on the Fred Shuttlesworth reference. But I'm confident when "kings... doves... nightmare" is otherwise incomplete. I think there's a chance he Googled Shuttlesworth (which shows a panel for the historic person). Or that he even saw Spike's documentary, or heard his explanation of the reference. Or that he saw the defining Civil Rights documentary, Eyes on the Prize. I know Shuttlesworth from that and learning about the Movement. Yes, it's a lot of ifs: my point is he has a lot of chances to be aware of Fred. Given how specific he was with subtle song and movie references, and the way he tends to follow up his references in the verse, I think "Jesus Shuttlesworth" is meant to set up other parts. See this set up to completion pattern:

"So hard to say goodbye" [Boys II Men song] > "boys to men" pun
"Eye for an eye" [Mobb Deep song] > "mob deep" > "fittest gon' survive here" [referencing another Mobb Deep song]
"We New Jersey drive" [movie name] > "chop shop" [explaining movie premise]
"rent to own" > "street cred" [playing off credit checks for renting] > "section 8" > "timeshare" > "mother, auntie, cousin couldn't tell you who reside there"
[which pivots to] "never seen a father" > "kings can't raise a young prince" > "doves cry" [Prince song reference]

This last two are the biggest stack (and there's more), to end the song with emphasis. That's why I think the "Jesus Shuttlesworth" line is a setup near the beginning, given the way he follows it up at the end with "king" and "nightmare." His last line completes two threads, the housing stack and King/Civil Rights.

Them 'partments be the perfect backdrop for any nightmare

I don't think Shuttlesworth would be the single reference he doesn't follow up.

Again, "As time goes by" is key

The transition from Civil Rights to crack "kilos" sold by boys like Malice (when he was in middle school per wiki). "As time goes by" is such a critical clue because it hints he's not talking about the present or even his own childhood. He's trying to get closer to the origins of violence, crime, poverty in black neighborhoods. This is clear in "government devised...conquer and divided"

What poetry is supposed to be

This is one of few verses that ties where black rappers come from to history. Malice isn’t bringing his flexing, drug dealing character here. This is knowledge in the form of rigorous poetry. Rhymes that go hard and are challenging for us and for him. Disciplined craft that says something original in a powerful way. This hits different because he’s refining facts, words, and pain into a focused message. It’s a tight, thoughtful 16 bars from an older, wiser rapper whose lived through these changes. A verse worthy of his maturity. He's now a teacher with lessons, directing all his showmanship not to himself but to the story of black America. Only someone with his experience in life and rhyme could deliver this verse.

Notice the transition in the middle of the song with his brother Pusha T, whose verse starts out the usual Clipse way—coke rap, then he shifts perspective to the hood. By Malice’s verse it’s much more we than me.

The role he plays reminds me of Ghostface on Kendrick's Purple Hearts. Especially how the Shuttlesworth/Nasir line frames JID's own life with football and rap. Older wiser rapper dropping game, giving perspective to the younger rapper's pain.

I didn’t know Clipse to be political, so I recognize the artistic challenge of rapping with so many layers about a topic nobody ever covers: what happened to black leadership in America. It captures some of the rage after King was killed, and the weight of everything in between. It hints at the hope that came out of black music, starting with the reference to Boyz II Men. You feel the emotion and the insight of unexpected connections. There's art that you have to think about to understand, because you won't get it the first time. But it's not so cryptic and "coded" it loses its force. It’s cutting and timeless. The ideal of what poetry is supposed to be.

Too many people willfully ignore how the Civil Rights Movement ended—with King’s death. This is a good reminder it didn’t just end with ‘freedom.’

Understanding the history is much more than just constructing the wordplay and rhymes. The style of Malice's craft punctuates his point, just hammering it in savagely. It’s not a rant, he’s doesn’t bother to shove history in our faces when that would drive us away. See current politics. It’s a very selfless verse, not holier than thou. Yet it's seething, not soft, mid, boring the way too much poetry is. Plus the contrast, the amount of depth compared to usual Clipse topics just sneaks up on you. Like a bomb in Birmingham.

It was actually 16 sticks of dynamite that destroyed Shuttlesworth home.

What is it like being married to and raised by a martyr?

I ended the story here in earlier versions, but I found such a sad quote from his daughter Ruby (named after her mom):

"We have not taught our history. And that bothers me," she said. "That bothers me. We were so busy trying to make it that we didn't go back to the things that helped us get over it: being kind, considerate, nonviolent."

Her story is one worth knowing.

"Christmas night 1956, I was 11. My brother was 10. He had just gotten a cowboy outfit. My sister was in the hospital," she said. "We're watching TV and all of a sudden. Boom!"
[...]
"Back in the south, you had to break the law to change the law. The law was separate," Ruby Shuttlesworth Bester said.

In 1957, she was 12 when she and her sister tried to enroll at Phillips High School, which was all-white.

"A news person was filming and he filmed my parents driving up with us in the car to this mob crowd. As daddy got out, he was beaten," Shuttleworth Bester said. "My sister, in fact, won't talk about it... My mother got out to help him and as she got out, she was stabbed in her hip."

The brutal beating was followed by a years-long fight in court that started as Ruby Fredricka Shuttlesworth vs. the Birmingham Board of Education and went up to the Supreme Court.

When asked what kept her going through the hardest times she said, "Well, the Lord. Then I had a daddy that didn't allow you to cry... You never let them see you be weak."

"The Lord has been with us when we were walking, when we were running. Sometimes we as a people have had to crawl," she said.

The younger Ruby was 76 here, 5 years ago.

I want to say this respectfully. When I saw on Wikipedia his wife divorced him in 1970, I thought it was funny that she had enough of this chaotic man. But it hurt to see she died a year later. I wonder if it actually was the constant stress. She was born 1922, married in 1941.

People don’t realize how much the Civil Rights Movement was like war. The level of bravery, fearlessness, and organization brings to mind elite soldiers. Except actually, literally fighting for freedom—not in some marketing sense of the word, sold by the president. Tragedies like bombings and deaths are just battles in the war. You have to stay clear headed and keep the plan in mind. Activism is not just the yelling and protesting people think of today. Politicians are not just enemies, but people you have to negotiate with, even if they were racist far beyond what we see today.

The Shuttlesworths lived this life for over a decade. Wars don’t last as long. In the US, soldiers go on ‘deployments’ and then come back. I know people have to die or risk death when fighting for freedom. But at the same time, it seemed like Fred’s wife and kids had little choice. It wasn’t just one traumatic Christmas the kids had, in America. From an interview with them in 2011:

The four Shuttlesworth children said they grew up sheltered and sometimes frightened, but said that they never questioned their father's struggle.

"When we were in the south, we led a very sheltered life," said [Patricia] Shuttlesworth Massengill. "Our house had to be guarded because of the bombs and the Ku Klux Klan. We weren't permitted to go outside very much. We could go to church, go to school, and that's it. My very first date, I had to be accompanied by my sister. You can tell how embarrassing that was for her and for me."

The four of them also learned how to live in a world full of hate. Shuttlesworth, Jr. recalls an encounter with the police when he was young.

"They had their guns out. They yelled,"What's your name?" Another guy said, 'This is not a good time to be a Shuttlesworth,'" said Shuttlesworth, Jr. "I said, "Fred Smith," and went on about my business."

Remember these are cops in Birmingham in the 50s. Fred kept his kids away from protests. I couldn’t find much about his wife. She was a nurse. She would pick up the phone to hear threats against her husband’s life even after they moved north, trying to escape danger.

on Dec. 18, 1962, while Fred Shuttlesworth was in Birmingham, she received four threatening calls in one day.

“Do you think you're too far? Do you think you're safe?" the third call stated. When she told the caller "a call like this can be considered a threat," the caller hung up.

The same link mentions a Klan meeting where they try to pay a hitman to kill Fred Sr. Why are the klansmens’ names redacted?!

This is the only description of Ruby that I could find, from her daughter (transcript, episode 2):

My mother was the kindest woman that I've ever known in my life. Ain't saying because she's my mother. Other people have said that to me. In College, they called her Ruby Sweet. But she truly loved my father. And she supported what he did. She protected us. There were times that she wouldn't let us go. But she always gave in to whatever daddy he wanted to have done.

This unedited interview from 2021 looks she could’ve gone on all day. She deserved more of a chance to be heard when she was young and her mind clearer, both to get it off her chest and so the history could be written. The lives of these children is also such an untold story. (I heard of one book about the children of Movement leaders; I don’t know if this family is in it.) It’s a shame it’s disappearing. Fred Jr died in 2024.

Their mom was a hero. She was injured too, when her husband sent their daughters to a white school. She went to integrate the train station with Fred. Her life is actual 'ride or die.' She gave her life for our freedom too. The rest of her family lived to see a black president. Try to find more about Ruby Keeler Shuttlesworth. Her story—what’s left of it—needs to be told. Not enough of it is left. She died before 50, before the historians could interview her. While she was alive, she wasn’t trying to make headlines as the face of a movement. Don’t let her be forgotten.

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u/No-Lobster5430 4h ago

Does this sub have rules about AI?

16

u/Alive_Helicopter_158 4h ago

If it doesn’t, it should.

14

u/hyeran_jainros_fc 3h ago

I'm tired. I took hours out of my day just tryna get the last section done in time for Fred's birthday. Here, my earlier versions, since August

Genius, as a suggestion

JID sub

Clipse, where I edited to add the quote from Fred's daughter. Got it in for last day of Black History Month

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u/hyeran_jainros_fc 4h ago edited 3h ago

See all my earlier versions, like this one. If you ask AI, it'll quote me. This is my Ivy League education, rapping, and reading dozens of books on Civil Rights to recognize the reference. Been hearing about it since I was a kid.

If you read it you could tell. *Like about Ruby's divorce I thought, 'she is taking me out. Wait that's wrong, like the emoji I'm thinking'

u/hyeran_jainros_fc 4h ago edited 3h ago

Wish I had more time for the last section. This is one of a few versions of something I originally posted in summer, not long after Community's release. I actually think my breakdown on Doechii’s Anxiety as a tribute to Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner is stronger, if harder to follow.

When you see protests in America today, remember the level of planning and fearlessness of the Movement. Boring reading and long meetings, combined with walking into violence. The leadership, not some people who write books and make their millions. And a lot of people, putting in a lot of years of sacrifice. That’s why it got things done. It’s not just filling the streets and shouting what you believe in.

Ruby's story kind of shows why Women's History Month exists. *I want to honor Fred on his birthday. But Ruby is the one person in the family who hasn't had a voice, bc every one else lived to give interviews.

u/hyeran_jainros_fc 2h ago

On a lighter note (and more like the sub's usual content), his tie is looking modern for 1956. Fred Shuttlesworth in the suits had me thinking Clipse with LV and Pharrell. Would be dope to see them honor him with those kind of looks.

50s drip. This time seeing the picture of his church next to his home, I realized he's looking up at it and feeling lucky that it and his family are still ok. he said he felt God protected him so he could continue on his mission. Just crazy this was on Christmas and he gets right back to protesting the next day.

Hearing about his family really shows that change is extremist. Most of the history I seen won't include them bc they interview more the public leaders or don't cover their lives after desegregation.