Key & Peele will be back with new episodes on Comedy Central starting July 8. Ahead of that, today Comedy Central released a musical short from Key & Peele called “Negrotown.” As you can tell from its controversial title, the video tackles tough subjects and speaks hard truths about racism and police brutality amid its catchy tune and bright presentation of a fantasy world juxtaposed with a bleaker real world.
It’s reminiscent of old Hollywood musical numbers, except where those films of the 1950s rarely had people of color in them (and this video parodies how the few African Americans that did appear in those films were stereotyped in their singing, speaking and mannerisms), the “Negrotown” number is exclusively populated by African Americans as it depicts a wistful dream of a “utopia for black people.” In “Negrotown,” black Americans are not hassled by cops, aren’t ignored by taxi drivers, aren’t automatically turned down for loans and don’t have white people coming up and touching their hair.
The song immediately ranks up there with some of the great satirical songs to come out of works like South Park or Monty Python. Like the best satire, while it is funny, it also has elements of sadness, frustration and anger as undercurrents. Its truth might make you uncomfortable to watch, or it might make you applaud, or something in between, but it also may make you think, and discuss.
Check out the uncensored video below (some language NSFW). Really can’t wait for more Key & Peele starting July 8.
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