I was fortunate last week to have run into yet another new band outside of my generally narrow scope of musical selection. While last week it was emo and pop punk, the Neighborhood Kids are hip hop and rap out of San Diego, and they are very active, with “Who’s Next” being their 2nd single in three months, with a new version of “Biddi Bomb”- a single from 2024- being released last month making three releases in the last I weeks.
“Who’s Next” is a wake-up call to the health insurance industry, demanding absolute reform, reminding CEOs that we cannot accept a system that puts profit before care, where we can’t afford to treat diseases and watch our families die from things we have the ability to prevent because it’s not in our economic best interest to keep people alive. You can’t deny care, delay treatment, or force people to go to court to justify saving a life, letting us die so you can return shareholder value, and then hope to live long enough to enjoy the profits you made by killing our families. Luigi Mangione was not a one-and-done, but the first wave in a rising tide. This is the expected results starting to pour in from a system that’s been rotten through. Who’s next? Who’s going to change the model, or who’s going to find out?
The final verse being recorded with, what I believe is vocal layering, making it sound like an angelic choir, feels powerful and adds an extra layer to the song that just makes it pop a little harder.
This is the perfect follow-up to January’s “The World Is Worth Saving”. If you haven’t picked up the Neighborhood Kids yet, it’s time to address that. The World is Worth Saving, building communities, reaching across borders and boundaries, and addressing society’s ills, education and action are all necessary steps. Let’s build a community, let’s love. Let’s fight. Make yourself heard.
Written by Gimp Leg
