This passing February, African-American rapper Royce da 5’9 released a very political and controversial song, “Field Negro”. For those of us who know our history, the term ‘field negro’ refers to a slave that worked on the field (very self explanatory). The term is associated with ‘house negro’, a slave who worked in the masters house, whether cook or cleaner. A divide grew between the two groups, the darker slaves where placed in the field and resented the lighter toned slaves who were enabled to work in the house. House slaves began to forget that they share the same status as the field slaves, despite being in a different position. 

In Royce da 5’9’s song, he speaks about the average Black American, as opposed to those of a higher class, and how celebrities have failed the people. Sports players, singers, actors, they started their journeys to fame just by seeking a better life, yet neglect their roots. They do not own their own revenue, they are just pawns in America’s game. Black celebrities are the new ‘house negroes’, and the average Black American is now the ‘field negro’. 

The goal of this essay is to dig deeper into a socio-economic divide that exists within the Black community. Higher class African-Americans are seen as traitors, abandoning their homes for a better life and neglecting to support and raise the state of the “hood” they grew up in. Lower class African-Americans are viewed as lazy and unmotivated. There is a false idea that if one person can make it out, then any one can, if you don’t, it is your own fault. I view this to be highly inaccurate and plan to discuss why this divide still exists and how it is impacting the community, both socially and economically. One of my sources that will be utilized (besides Royce’s song) is Malcolm X’s speech at Michigan State University in 1963, where he describes the difference between the house negro and the field negro. I view Malcolm X as extremely influential within the community, and although I am apart of the Black community which may contribute to my own personal bias, there have been many leaders speaking on this subject for years. It has never left our society, the rift within our own community, it has simply taken a new form.