“A prerequisite to America
A disguised sin
Where some brother from that closed southern shit
Comes to some open northern shit”
– “New York, New York,” The Last Poets
“New York, New York” is a song that is featured on The Last Poets’ self-titled debut album. This song focuses on the many different experiences a black body would go through while living in New York City. This song, when heard resembles a spoken word poem backed by a drum beat, connects with Forman’s idea of space and place. Different individuals have different experiences when they move into spaces where they can be out of place. If they are not in a space that they can create their own place, then they would not be fully immersed in the space and what they could potentially gain from it. However, since spaces can be so polarized because of the places that are set up, people would not be able thrive. The Last Poets also speaks on how we can create a new concept of something that will always mean the same thing to those who have always be around the concept. Neighborhoods that are being gentrified, and are “exploited colonies” because of the idea of space/place. The Last Poets does an excellent portrayal of Forman’s concept of establishing a space and creating a place or meaning in those spaces.
