Songs for Assata / When Will the Time Come?
On the second Yom Kippur during Israel's genocide of Gaza
I’ve been working on tying up the “Kosha Dillz” thread… a topic which feels (tbh) pretty insignificant/petty in the face of the new atrocities each day reveals. Still, I need to put a pin in this Studying Up (sub)plot (rounding out “White Rappers, Vol. 1”) so we can move forward with our broader narrative.
It appears the last entry in this series was all the way back in May (← for anyone needing a recap). So I’ve been avoiding wrapping this up for quite some time. But I will finally resolve that shortly.
To tide you over, here’s a beautifully curated playlist honoring the (now ancestor) Assata Shakur from the one and only
:
Direct link to the mix: https://www.mixcloud.com/gabriel-teodros/songs-for-assata/
As well: https://hotspotatl.com/6427760/songs-for-assata-shakur/item/6
Assata Shakur, a prominent figure in the Black Liberation Army who died this week at 78, remains a powerful symbol of resistance, freedom, and the fight against systemic oppression. Her life, words, and unwavering spirit have deeply influenced generations of artists, particularly within hip-hop. This genre, born from the struggles and stories of Black communities, has long served as a platform for political expression and social commentary. It is no surprise that Assata’s legacy is woven into the fabric of hip-hop, with countless artists invoking her name as a tribute to her revolutionary ideals. From calls for her freedom to reflections on her autobiography, these musical references ensure her story continues to inspire and educate.
See also,
’ reflection on DJ Phatrick’s “art of turntablism as a form of resistance,” in particular his mixes in solidarity with Gaza/Palestine:As it happens, just today Phatrick dropped a new edit of “When Will the Time Come?” Voiced by his emcee “partner in crime” Bambu. This was already one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard (sincerely), and this remix takes it to another level.
I linked to the original version (from 2009) in my first post on “KD, ” back in April. So it is fitting (though also enraging) that I’m linking to the updated, 2025 version as I prepare to end this sub-series (in October):
It’s time we take it all back to no nonsense
Stop the massacre right now on the Gaza Strip
We talking [70,000] dead, [100] stacks hurt
Little boy’s legs gone, arm blown off little girl’s
Ain’t no more room in the morgue
They declare war
Like Palestine aint got no civilians any more
Helicopters brought over by the USA
Dropping missile after missile on a school day
—Bambu, “When Will the Time Come?”
Track description:
Originally made in 2009 for DJ Phatrick’s A Song For Ourselves Mixtape - a mix made for the release of Tad Nakamura’s documentary about Asian American activist & musician Chris Iijima, this song was a response to israel’s Operation Cast Lead campaign murdering thousands of innocent Gazans. Today, in 2025, every word that Bam raps still applies to the current situation in Gaza - the only change is that the casualties are exponentially higher. Stop the genocide, FREE PALESTINE!
And a couple more goodies from Phatrick:
Continuing our “musical interlude,” here’s a preview of next week’s post (for the 6th and final edition “inspired” by KD I had to triple the 12:1 ratio between 1 of his songs and everything else on the playlist, because it’s just that atrocious and offensive, and as a result this became a 36:1 ratio…). If you find the playlist title confusing, don’t worry, I’m just engaging in some “light numerology” lol. 😄
In closing, I’m including below an excerpt from the Erev Yom Kippur sermon given by Rabbi Brant Rosen, who for the past ten years has led the anti-Zionist Jewish congregation that I attend, Tzedek Chicago. This was his last High Holidays as Tzedek’s rabbi. And it was a heartbreaking one, as Rabbi Brant brought into focus our failure to stop the genocide of Gaza, on what is now the second Yom Kippur that has passed since Israel began its extermination campaign in October of 2023. During the Kol Nidre service, Rabbi Brant read aloud testimonials from Palestinians in Gaza (and their family members). This act of witness clarified: the total annihilation of Gaza is reaching its apex, while the world looks on. We can (and must) repent for our failure to prevent this, but what’s taking place is unforgivable.
https://rabbibrant.com/2025/10/03/we-have-failed-gaza-sermon-for-erev-yom-kippur-5686/
“These words, however, are mere reportage. I believe it’s critical that we hear the story of this erasure from those who are most directly impacted. And so I’d like to share with you two extended testimonies for this Yom Kippur, our day of reckoning. The first is the voice of Taher Herzallah, who comes from Gaza City and works as the Director of Organizing for American Muslims for Palestine. These are the words that Taher recently posted on this Facebook page:”
Gaza has fallen.
I’m not a sensationalist, nor am I someone who likes to shatter people’s hopes. But what we are witnessing today is the complete and utter annihilation of a people. It really feels like the end of Gaza City, and I don’t say this lightly, especially since I have family members and friends in Gaza who follow me on this page. This is the city where my father was born and where my family has lived for centuries.
Many of my relatives held out for two years under the worst conditions human beings can live under. But for more than 700 days, they’ve endured and found ways to survive in Gaza City.
No longer.
They’ve decided to leave Gaza City for the first time since this all started. It is just no longer possible to live there. With Israel’s systematic destruction of many of the major residential high rises in the city this week, the message is unequivocal: all of Gaza City will be leveled to the ground, the way Rafah and Jabalya and Khan Younis and Beit Hanoun were.
The images of displacement today broke something inside of me. People, looking back at Gaza with tears in their eyes, are moving south into another uncertain reality. Death and suffering are still a high likelihood as “safe zones” don’t truly exist. They know a return to Gaza is unlikely and they will be stuck in a cycle of displacement and suffering for years to come. But what choice do people have?
Some people refuse to leave Gaza. Not only out of stubbornness but also because they don’t have the means to leave. With the lack of aid organizations or large-scale efforts to facilitate the transfer of the population to another area, everyone in Gaza is left alone to figure out how to move their families to safer zones.
I have family members in Gaza who have gone back and forth from Gaza City to Deir El Balah 3 or 4 times to find a small plot of land to set up their tents. Finding an apartment or a built structure to live in is an absolutely hopeless endeavor. The best-case scenario now is to find a small plot of land large enough to erect a tent. With 2 million people squeezed into a small area on the Gaza coast, even that has become nearly impossible…
The stories we are hearing out of Gaza are heartbreaking and soul-crushing. A 10-year-old child in Gaza City was asked what his hopes are for ending this war. His response: “I only hope for one thing–to find my dad’s body and to bury him.” This is the extent of the boy’s hopes and dreams. To find consolation in burying the body of his father, who was killed at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution site.
Other people have similar stories. They refuse to leave Gaza City, not because they don’t think it’s dangerous, but because they have loved ones buried under the rubble that they have not retrieved and can’t fathom moving on in life without burying them. The psychological and physical trauma of this genocide is so severe that people know that carrying that trauma will be the end of them anyway, and would rather die in Gaza City than endure years of more suffering…
To my family reading this: I am sorry. I have failed you. I don’t know what else to say. I hope you forgive me.
For the rest of us: whatever happens next will be very difficult. So prepare accordingly.