Experiences of racism in the southern United States inspired Gary Clark Jr .: "This Land": NPR

A moment of anger prompted Grammy Award-winning artist Gary Clark Jr. to create the heart-wrenching and uncompromising song "This Land".

The guitar singer and prodigy grew up in Austin, Texas, in a place he called "in the middle of the Trump country", where he was regularly a victim of racism. In an interview with On Rolling Stone, Clark talks about opportunities for people writing the word on the fence outside his house, pushing dog feces into his mailbox or placing the Confederate flag on his fence.

It was only last year that his anger over how he was treated reached a boiling point.

In an interview on All things ConsideredClark told NPR's Michel Martin that a neighbor had approached him last year and asked who was living on the 50-acre estate that Clark had bought in Austin with his wife, Nicole Trunfio, for raise their two children.

"Yes," Clark replied.

"You can not live here," the neighbor replied.

His neighbor did not believe him, he said, and insisted on talking with "the owner", despite Clark's repeated assertions: "It's my home."

All the while, Clark's 3-year-old son was watching the scene and asked later, "Dad, why is he so angry?"

Clark said that he was generally silent in this kind of situation, but that his anger kept bubbling, until it finally overflowed into the studio.

"I'm sitting in the cabin and I have not written it, I just freestyle and let it go," he said. "Everyone took a breath after taking hold and I sat on it."

The first reaction came from Jacob Sciba, Clark's engineer turned co-producer, who said: "It's angry, I do not like to hear you angry."

Clark does not like being angry either.

But in his last album, This earthhe wanted to be honest about his feelings.

"That's what came out of what you know, life being black in this country, in this world, unfortunately," he said.

From the 2016 presidential election – such as Charlottesville, Colin Kaepernick or police brutality – racially captioned headlines have all invaded Clark's mind, he said.

In response, Clark returns in the title song of his album "This Land". The song begins with synthetic sounds and raw guitar riffs, but begins quickly with a scathing rhythm while Clark speaks:

Paranoid and angry

Now that I have the money

Fifty hectares and a model A

In the middle of Trump country

I told you, "There is a neighborhood"

Now, Mr. Williams is not so funny

I see you looking out the window

I can not wait to call the police on me

Flames of anger lick the notes of the song, then explode in a chorus of rage when Clark sings about people telling him, "Go back to where you come from."

In the video clip of the song, Clark's anxious face leans out of the shadows and he offers a provocative, face-to-face answer.

"I am the son of America, that's where I come from."

The line has a gruff bite, contrasting with Clark's relaxed and relaxed voice. "This Land" is an excerpt from an album composed of easy-to-swallow melodies that criss-cross genres such as rock and roll, rhythm and blues, funk, reggae and hip-hop.

For "This Land", Clark was afraid to pretend to be the racist stereotype of an angry black man, but he felt that it was important to keep it real.

"There are levels for me," he explained. "If I'm going to mix genres, I should be able to mix emotions too."

"Pearl Cadillac" is one of the 16 songs in the album, in which Clark sings in a prince-like falsetto his gratitude to his mother.

I remember when I left home in this Cadillac pearl

I was looking for a way to pay you back

For your love, your love, your love

The Cadillac Clark is talking about his 1994 DeVille Cadillac purple, which he entrusted to a tour with American blues rock guitarist Jimmie Vaughn about 15 years ago.

Just before leaving, Clark said that his mother had said to be careful and "make me proud." His support inspired the powerful ballad that Clark later interpreted on SNL.

Midway through the song, Clark's soft, sweet voice singing "I do not want to let you down, Oh, I just want to make you proud," contrasts with the lamentations of his guitar a while later, when Clark puts worth the strings. Never missing a beat, Clark sways and leans in the music.

It looks like he's bleeding in the notes; everything is left on the stage.

In This earthIt's easy to hear the connection between Clark's soul music influences such as Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder. Some of these influences came from his parents, but others from the music scene of his hometown in Austin.

"Walking down 6th Street, you'll hear jazz, reggae, blues, america, country, hip hop, EDM, everything was there," Clark said. "I was intrigued by the DJs – I was intrigued by the horn players, the violinists, the whole thing."

So, Clark decided that he wanted to try everything.

He started collecting all the possible instruments – if that made any noise, Clark loved it. He even has bagpipes, although he does not know how to play them yet.

"I just want to understand and be part of it, all these influences have sucked me in," he said. "I just put it in a big jar of okra and start stirring it to see what's going on."

The political and social commentary This earth through songs like "Feed The Babies" and "The Governor" reconcile the experiences of Clark's personal life. Although each piece is different, sometimes dramatically, Clark wears them with a burning guitar and the tasty spirit of the blues.

Clark is currently touring for the album, which will take him to the United States and around the world, far from his Texan roots.

"I sing as if I have never sung in my life before," he said. "I'm going to be exhausted after that, but it's time to put everything on the table."

With such career opportunities, Clark hoped to advance the struggle for equality that his predecessors – such as Martin Luther King Jr. – had resumed.

"I'm not going to go back, it's like we're staying strong, we've worked too hard," he said.

After his tour, Clark will return to the 50-acre house for which he worked.

He deserved it and he did not go away.