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Pop Culture
Mar 05, 2026, 06:29AM

It Was All on a Shoestring

A 2023 American Highways interview with record producer Vance Powell vs. a 1964 National Guardian interview with civil rights leader H. Rap Brown.

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H. Rap Brown: When there is no redress of grievances, when government becomes the lawbreaker, then people must become the law enforcers.

Vance Powell: That’s cool. But it was all on a shoestring.

Brown: That's the rise of fascism.

Powell: It’s a problem. It’s not “feast or famine” now, it’s “snack or famine.”

Brown: We have to be prepared to fight anybody who gets in.

•••

Powell: That’s true for anyone who is really in the trenches of the business.

Brown: You give the police the right to do whatever they want, legally.

Powell: If you’re a fine woodworker and your nice set of chisels gets taken away, you might be able to work with a screwdriver.

Brown: But in terms of leaders, the masses of people will choose their leaders.

Powell: Yes. The thing is, how can you fund an $800,000 purchase?

•••

Brown: You have to get that out of your mind.

Powell: Well, we have to keep working.

Brown: And to control the community in a capitalistic way, like the mob, is not desirable.

Powell: You would think that’s what happened, but that’s not really what happened.

Brown: I'm under surveillance every day.

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