On the night the ballots for the Voice to Parliament referendum were being counted, Gumbaynggirr rapper Tasman Keith was with his family. Things weren’t too unusual or out of the ordinary, as he spent time cooking a barbecue, relaxing, and talking with his cousins like it were any other regular night.
Preparing for a hopeful and optimistic nationwide “yes” to appear all over the internet and on their TV, the imminent majority “no’s” declared by each state as the votes rolled in ignited something inside of Tasman. He knew what he had to do next.
“I've always been very self determined within my community to never really depend or rely on government change, because we never see anything that makes a major change,” he told VICE.
“I've always been a believer of direct impact within the community and within myself, just by leading by example. So when I saw the "no's" rolling in I was like: okay, this is fucked up.”
“All of my family came to mind and I was like: alright, let me say some shit.”
Fuelled by the resounding “no” result, Keith released the track “LEFT RIGHT” the next day. In a 24-hour window, he re-recorded, re-produced, and had the new song mixed and mastered, before filming a video to it, having it edited, and eventually teasing and releasing it online.
Though the song was first penned in November last year, releasing it with the dialogue that it provides in the wake of the referendum felt like a no-brainer for Keith.
“I think the premise of the song when I first wrote it was to get rid of division, but through the uncomfortable conversations that need to be had first,” he said.
“I don't care what or who you are, I just want to see real difference and real change to be made. I don't want to hear about the left or right side of politics. I just want to see something being done.”
Grappling with the idea that the unforeseen and unknowing future of his people was still in the hands of 97% of non-indigenous Australia, it’s the creative community that rejoiced to bring “LEFT RIGHT” to fruition that signified hope and reassurance.
“I couldn't have done it without those people that helped me,” he said.
“I can't mix and master a joint in two hours, I can't edit a video. But to see all them be down after what had happened, and to feel people come together and do something – it was an incredible feeling. I'm just thankful that I was the person that could be at the forefront of that.”
While the referendum result continued the ongoing discourse of First
Nations issues and Indigenous sovereignty in Australia, the result also manifested newfound motivation, and an indescribable energy, within Keith.
It inserted a battery in his back – motivated by positive change and an undeniably greater future, that seems within arms-reach now more than ever before. The fight is still on, and Keith is one of many to narrate the journey moving forward.
“This feels like the first time in a while that a lot of the world is now watching,” he said.
“People are getting a small glimpse into how we feel. That ‘no’ is what we live every day,”
“I feel like it's going to be from the ground up now. I think a lot more people are being aware and watching and ready to listen to black voices,”
“If we don't have hope, then what do we really have? I know that things are going to change slowly. And I think there's already proof there. I am hopeful for a brighter future, [to use a] fucking cliche. And hopefully we'll get there.”
Adele is the Junior Writer & Producer for VICE AU/NZ. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter here.
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