E Pluribus Unum

By The Last Poets

In many instances, when an artist has so much to say, the beatmaker has so little to do. A 97-line poem would usually take above 10 minutes to render, but 'The Last Poets' delivered it in just 4 minutes. This was made possible by minimizing the beat and fusing in a bit of rap.

E Pluribus Unum is a track released ahead of its time. Although the track daringly revealed the truth about the system of the United States back in the 70s, the poets unknowingly or prophetically painted a vivid picture of today's world.

The 1973 released track had a lot of cultural significance. Among topics discussed in the tracks include racism, US symbols, the US Dollar, greed in power, and corruption.

THE BEAT:

Unlike other tracks of The Last Poets, like "Oh My People" and "When The Revolution Comes," E Pluribus Unum is produced differently as it has minimal instrumentals. This is probably because the messages in the track are potent and need to be heard loud and clear. We didn't hear their traditional cowbells, drums, or even bass. However, of all the instrumentals The Last Poets dropped, they couldn't do without the conga and talking drum, as both formed a significant part of the minimal beat.

In addition, the track can be described as a busy track, filled with multiple issues and topics, and as such, it needed a mild and smooth instrumental to keep the messages clear. There were intervals in the track where the beat ceased to give more attention to the upcoming lyrics.

TITLE OF THE TRACK:

The track E Pluribus Unum was intentionally named. The artists could have chosen a theme from one of the numerous topics they spoke about to call this track, but they didn't. E Pluribus Unum is the United States' motto, 'one out of many.' Aside from the fact the track spoke about the United States and its sacred symbols, the title refers to a few people who the artist says are grabbing and hoarding the share/fate of the masses. So despite America being a land blessed with plenty, only 'one' out of many is prospering.

THE POETRY OF THE TRACK:

Being a track with deep, politically charged lines, The Last Poets used a few literary devices.

Just like other of their tracks, rhymes and rhythm played an important role, but they also applied even more devices like puns, irony, and personification. In one of the lines, the poets refer to the Eagle, the US symbol, as a bird of prey. Irony and puns were also beautifully captured when they referred to the 'IN GOD WE TRUST' inscription on the Dollar bill.

CONCLUSION:

E Pluribus Unum means one out of many. And surely, if many tracks are placed on a scale, this track would be picked as one out of many.