I’m about as western European white as it gets. I was very much into hip hop when I was in high school, though not specifically into African-American culture as a whole.

That said, I’ve always been a big admirer of the spirit shown within the culture. Especially how the plight of slavery has had such an impact, it created a sort of shared understanding and development.

I feel the need here to emphasise that slavery is a horrible concept and I am not making light of any positive effect it may have had.

It was when I started watching Lovecraft Country that I delved into the song Sinnerman. It was the soundtrack of the show and the show does touch on class struggle in the United States circa 1950.

But the passion, the sheer soul of these kinds of songs, like Sinnerman, and how they travel through time and space, it’s just special in a way that is hard to describe.

Any culture is always far more profound than just certain aspects that pop up and pique your interest. But it is very interesting how something like that is a way to get a deeper understanding of some things.

I’m trying to phrase this as carefully as possible but I am very aware that I am on the outside of this culture and can’t begin to understand any of it fully or the way it was intended.