Renowned writer, performer and poet Dean Atta opened many an eye and gained much attention with his recently penned poem “I Am Nobody’s Nigger”; inspired by the [much delayed] sentencing of Stephen Lawrence‘s murderers, and the discovery that the n-word was the last the teenager heard before being stabbed to death in a racist attack almost 19 years ago.

The piece was, “inspired by the tragic loss of Stephen Lawrence and the ceaseless self determination of his mother Doreen to seek justice and truth, but also speaks of my love/hate relationship with Hip Hop,” says Atta.

Having already brought you the spoken word piece, Dean teamed up with the folks at SB.TV, as well as some of the prominent faces in today’s UK Hip Hop scene – the likes of Clement Marfo, Scorcher, Roxxxan, Mic Righteous, Random Impulse and Jamal Edwards – to provide thoroughly moving visuals for a thought-provoking piece.

What do you think of the sentiments in Atta’s poem? Read below.

I Am Nobody’s Nigger

Rappers when you use the word “nigger” remember that’s one of the last words Stephen Lawrence heard, so don’t tell me it’s a reclaimed word.

I am nobody’s nigger
So please, let my ancestors rest in peace
Not turn in their graves in Jamaica plantations
Or the watery graves of the slave trade
Thrown overboard into middle passage
Just for insurance claims
They were chained up on a boat
As many as they could manage and stay afloat
Stripped of dignity and all hope
Awaiting their masters and European names
But the sick and the injured were dead weight to toss
And Lloyds of London would cover that cost.

I am nobody’s nigger
So you can tell Weezy and Drake
That they made a mistake
I am nobody’s nigger now
So you can tell Kanye and Jigga
I am not a nigger… in Paris
I’m not a nigger in London
I’m not a nigger in New York
I’m not a nigger in Kingston
I’m not a nigger in Accra
Or a nigger with attitude in Compton
Cos “I don’t wanna be called yo nigga”

How were you raised on Public Enemy
And still became your own worst enemy?
You killed Hip Hop and resurrected headless zombies
That can’t think for themselves or see where they’re going
Or quench the blood lust because there’s no blood flowing
In their hearts, just in the streets
They don’t give a damn as long as they eating
Their hearts ain’t beating, they’re cold as ice (bling)
Because they would put money over everything
Money over self respect or self esteem
Or empowering the youth to follow their dreams
Stacking paper cos it’s greater than love it seems
Call me “nigger” cos you’re scared of what “brother” means

To know that we share something unspeakable
To know that as high as we rise we are not seen as equal
To know that racism is institutional thinking
And that “nigger” is the last word you heard before a lynching.

—Follow @DeanAtta.