"What kind of emotional commentary is made on the legacy on empire in Charged and ADF's songs?"
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Charged and ADF both make very metaphorical yet explicit comments against the legacy of empire. Their commentary is indeed emotional, but also demonstrates an air of resistance through perseverance and mockery.
ADF's "Debris" contains a powerful message against English imperialism. There is the repetition of "global pillage" that immediately demonstrates the extent of England's imperialism on innocent lands and countries. To pillage is to rob violently, and it is typically associated to a smaller scale, like that of villages or even churches (it is also mostly associated with Vikings). The addition of "global" by ADF shows how British imperialism extracted resources like raw materials and labourers through violent and exaggerated means, much like colonialism (the two go hand in hand, you really cannot have one without the other). The use of global pillaging also shows the objectification of its victims as they were also robbed, in the sense that they were robbed of their safety, country and culture, as well as being physically stolen away. This is demonstrated in Visram's Ayahs Lascars and Princes, in which the work immediately opens with the explanation of the importing of Indian servants and ayahs to Britain in the early 18th century (Visram 11). To further emphasize the point of Britain's inexplainable violence, ADF states "I have never had the feeling to either destroy or conquer". This demonstrates how evil imperialism is as conquest and destruction are not a typical or common thoughts. This shows how only a select few see these elements as something worth pursuing. The lyrics "When the truth is uncovered/And the story's been told/You won't be able to look me in the face" is when I personally think the emotional side of this song begins to peak through. There is a sense of resistance and perseverance as ADF (and others) will make sure that the British empire's crimes will come to light one day. There is also a sense that they (the British) are cowardly. They cannot face their victims because they know they are in the wrong. This personification of the empire shows how not only one person is at fault, you cannot just blame any of the three King George's, but rather everyone who upheld these bigoted, racist and disgusting values. ADF does not hide their anger towards the English as they call them out explicitly as well as call out the countries they have tarnished. They mention Asia and Africa, which reminds listeners (or at least me) of the Atlantic Slave Trade, conversion missions, the English East India Company and the Opium Trade/Wars in China. Despite their anger, there is also the continuation of their perseverance. "We are gonna spread power words" shows that they are better than the English as they can fight back without resorting to violence. Furthermore, they also show that they will use any means possible to spread their message of anti-imperialism as they discuss technology. I found the lyric "Jammin' with it consciously" very interesting as they acknowledge how technology is also based in imperialism. It is produced with forced labour, and used by imperial powers as a way to spread propaganda (and violence if you think of technologies as weapons). They have re-appropriated the very things used against them.
As for Charged's "Empire", I found myself having a bit of a hard time properly hearing the lyrics (so my analysis of this song will not be as in-depth as ADF's). From what I could hear, I found that Charged used a lot of gun imagery. (I think) the lyrics "revolver as a problem solver" and "empire empire, temper temper" alludes to the idea that empire has the temper of a gun, as in it could go off any minute. It shows that the short temper of empire is dangerous as it put everyone in danger despite not deserving of it. I associate this to ADF's lyric of "I have never had the feeling to either destroy or conquer" as they both somewhat give off the same message. Empire is not a stable power. It is rooted in this insane power trip that leaves everyone within its reach in horrible conditions. Furthermore, the gun/firearm imagery made me do some research on firearms. From my extensive research (a skim across many Wikipedia pages), I found that firearms and guns would develop in 10th century Imperial China, then be used in South Asia, notably during the Mughal Empire under Babur and Akbar (this I learned in an amazing class with Professor Subho Basu!), then be taken a hold of by Europe due to the Silk Road. Guns have passed from "empire [to] empire" (a little play on the lyrics) for warfare, conquest and destruction. All empires use it to their advantage. This also shows how the English (and other European empires) "appropriated" (I'm not sure if this is the right word) the East's means of fighting and used it against them. I had mentioned in the very beginning that these songs show off resistance through mockery. I think that Charged's "Empire" is also making a comment on cowardice as empire hide behind their guns and also have tempers (which is typical of a child).