Song Analysis: Chum By Earl Sweatshirt

Chum by Earl Sweatshirt is a song describing his life growing up in inner city Chicago. He illustrates the struggles of growing up as an only child without a father in the low-income black community. I, personally, am not able to relate to his hardships, yet the line, “Too black for the white kids, and too white for the blacks,” confirms to me that I am not the only one who felt like they weren’t or couldn’t be fully a part of the white or black community, as a mixed person.
Growing up in Midland, Michigan town of 83,632, 94.2% white and only 1.4% black, these statistics significantly affected me throughout my childhood. I was raised by a white mother and an African (not African American) father, who was seldom present in my life due to deployment and guard duty. It was challenging to identify with the black community because of being raised in Midland, I was not able to be engulfed with the stereotypical African American culture. I was surrounded by white people and one African father who remained to be unfamiliar with the norms as well. In a community brimming with conformity …show more content…
I don’t know why I was unaware in preschool, but that day I noticed that all the other girls had hair like my mom. I also was getting extra attention from the class’s aid, she would say, “OOOooo I just love your little twists, they are just so cute and pretty!” Now this is not offensive whatsoever, but as a kindergarten student who felt self-conscious about being different than everyone else, I felt somewhat alienated. That night, I asked my mother how to get my hair like hers, by the time she allowed me to do so it had been two years and she finally permitted a family friend flat iron my hair. Surprisingly, when I wore it to school the next day people were more confused than complimentary. This is where I find out I just can’t win with fully fitting