Sean Blaise takes on Rockaways gentrification in 'Che Guevara'

by Andrew Sacher

Rockaway, Queens rapper (and sometimes BV contributor) Sean Blaise is a founding member of the Strong Currents crew. He picked up some local buzz for his anti-gentrification anthem “Fuck Out the Rock,” and last week he put out a new video/single, “Che Guevara.” Its themes aren’t too far removed from “Fuck Out The Rock.” Sean says the song has “commentary about shithead hipsters riding fixed gears” (they are the ones the song says will get “took down”), and it also takes a dig at VICE Media. It’s got Sean rapping with his friends in various Queen locations, like in front of Tommy’s Pizzeria (whose chef comes out and makes a brief cameo).

From Gothamist, who premiered the video:

“It all centers around this idealized vision of a beach community. They turned it into some behemoth fake paradise of surf culture and fish tacos,” said Blaise, who’s lived in the Rockaways since he was three. He described the Rockaways as a continuum of wealth, starting from Far Rockaway, home to more poor people and people of color, and ending at Breezy Point, where he said the population is largely made up of the rich and white. “I’m like smack dab in the middle: regular, lower middle class. That’s where the most change has occurred is right there.”

Check it out below…

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