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Riz Ahmed performed a moving spoken-word song in response to Charlottesville.
The powerful performance of 'Sour Times' drew a roaring applause.
08.15.17
"It seems that we’re living in really, really divided times, and it really hurts," said rapper, actor, and activist Riz Ahmed on "The Tonight Show."
Just days after a white supremacist killed a protester at a Charlottesville, Virginia, march, the "Rogue One" star found himself seated next to Jimmy Fallon discussing his latest TV, film, and music projects. After a few minutes of standard talk show banter, the conversation turned serious, and Ahmed brought up a song he wrote a while ago, that he hoped would never be relevant.
<p>"I wrote this piece 10 years ago. Every year, I keep hoping it’ll become irrelevant, but it seems to become more and more relevant, sadly," he told Fallon. "It’s my attempt to try and get behind the headlines and work out where all this extremism is coming from."</p><p>Then he asked for a microphone and walked to the middle of the stage.</p><h2>Ahmed performed a phenomenal, heartfelt, powerful spoken-word rendition of "Sour Times" for the audience.</h2><p>If there's a message we need to hear right now, this is it. If you have a spare four minutes, do yourself a favor and watch the video. If not, the lyrics are printed in full at the bottom of this story.</p><div><div data-card="html" data-reactroot=""><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8d5ebe571809d3454e3308fd096d2c35"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M9tUEhgExPM?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></div></div><blockquote>"So listen, terrorism isn’t caused by religion or an old school vision of Islam / It’s against the Quran, it’s a new innovation caused by mash-up situations / That’s what makes them turn to arms / The problem is modern and it’s all local factors / Dictatorships, injustices and wars cause fatwas."</blockquote><p>Our goal, like Ahmed says, should be to better understand where extremism comes from. Islamophobia, bigotry, and xenophobia aren't the answer, and if anything, they <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-islamic-state-is-fueled-by-islamophobia/2016/06/02/37109540-28ff-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html?utm_term=.e8a1e222a53e" target="_blank">might actually just make things worse</a>. To root out extremism, we need to understand its cause, "what makes them turn to arms," as Ahmed says. Placing blanket blame on Muslims is a cop-out. </p><p>The situation is a lot more complex than that, and until we can respond to it in a smart, thoughtful, and nuanced way, things will only get worse.</p><h2>"Sour Times" by Riz Ahmed, as performed on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon":</h2><blockquote>In these sour times<br>Please allow me to vouch for mine<br>Bitter taste in my mouth, spit it out with a rhyme<br>I'm losing my religion to tomorrow's headlines<br>Guantanamo — sorry bro?<br>Nah, nothing, it's fine.<br><br>And now it's post 7/7<br>Why they calling it that?<br>They're trying to link it to New York<br>Like we’re all under attack from the same big bad guy<br>But it's taking a piss<br>'Cause the truth is terrorism ain’t what you think it is<br>There ain’t no super villain planning these attacks from some base<br>The truth is so much scarier and harder to face<br>See, there's thousands of angry young men that are lost<br>Sidelined in the economy, a marginal cost<br>They think there's no point in putting ballots up in the box<br>They got no place in this system, and no faith in its cogs<br>They're easy targets, that be getting brainwashed by these knobs<br>Who say that spilling innocent blood is pleasing a god<br>Well, it sounds good when you don’t see no justice or jobs<br>The gas bills are piling up, but all the oil's getting robbed<br>So David's taking out Goliath, and his wife and his dog<br>Segregated, castrated, now we see who’s on top!<br>So see, it ain’t religious faith that’s causing these crimes<br>It’s losing faith in democratic free market designs<br>It’s no coincidence that bombers came from ghettos up north<br>And the way that Trump talks gives a lost boy a cause<br>Then double standards get 'em angered, both at home and abroad<br>There's a monopoly on pens that's why they forge their own swords<br>They're misguided, turned violent, strapped themselves up with bombs<br>But they're still cowards, 'cause they ain’t here when the backlash is on<br><br>In these sour times<br>Please allow me to vouch for mine<br>Bitter taste in my mouth, spit it out with a rhyme<br>I'm losing my religion to tomorrow's headlines<br>Abu Ghraib — sorry mate?<br>Nah, nothing, it's fine<br><br>So all the mans that want to say that my religion has to change<br>That we’re stuck in a bygone age<br>It's time to set the vinyl straight<br>Don’t you think it’s kind of strange that all this terror outrage<br>These last gasp castaways<br>These bastards that will blast away<br>Turned up in the last decade<br>When Islam has been the way for millions<br>From back in the day<br>Instead of thinking that we’re crazed<br>Investigate just what it says<br>Fast, help the poor, and pray<br>Go Mecca, feast, fast, and faith<br>That’s the basics, that the base<br>So how did we get here today?<br>Well, interpretations always change<br>Today, they're read with rage<br>Been jihad-ened up<br>Desperation's kinda f—<br>Makes you use a book of peace as weapons in Iraq<br>So listen, terrorism isn’t caused by religion or an old school vision of Islam<br>It’s against the Quran, it’s a new innovation caused by mash-up situations<br>That’s what makes them turn to arms<br>The problem is modern and it’s all local factors<br>Dictatorships, injustices, and wars cause fatwas<br><br>In these sour times<br>Please allow me to vouch for mine<br>Bitter taste in my mouth, spit it out with a rhyme<br>I'm losing my religion to tomorrow's headlines<br>But it's fine<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTUzMjQyNy9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5NzUyNTAwNn0.53UD0gE4RDDitHTtSvy4lW5Hoeu1Qm8BbUxd9DqR3qo/img.gif?width=980" id="1790f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7358a845ba75e85a2e51fe447067bd11" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption..."></small></p>
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