Australian activist group A.B. Original, renowned for their 2016 debut ‘RECLAIM AUSTRALIA,’ is back with an uncompromising new track, ‘Yes.’ This fierce endorsement for a YES vote in the impending Indigenous Voice Referendum is a bold musical stand against months of political dissembling over the Indigenous Voice proposal.
In ‘Yes,’ Yorta Yorta man Briggs and Ngarrindjeri man Trials, the dynamic duo behind A.B. Original, alongside guest artist Marlon Motlop and world-renowned turntablist DJ Total Eclipse, deliver a blistering perspective on the referendum. The track calls out disinformation and challenges the hypocrisy surrounding the Indigenous Voice, with lines like “Anything less than a YES Vote is signed with a death note.”
The heart of the song extends a simple yet powerful invitation to walk with First Nations peoples towards a more inclusive and equitable future for Australia. It unapologetically tackles the complacency and vacillations in public opinion surrounding the proposal for a First Nations seat at the Commonwealth table.
‘Yes’ does not mince words. It calls out opponents and their misinformation campaigns, ensuring the message is clear: a NO vote is detrimental, reinforcing racism and putting Australia in a worse position. The track emphasizes the urgency of voting YES and dispelling the distrust that has arisen due to government actions and divisive tactics.
Briggs, one half of A.B. Original, expresses the importance of the referendum in working towards better outcomes for Indigenous Australians, “It’s important that we continue to work towards better outcomes for Blackfullas,” Briggs says. “With this referendum we stand to make a gain towards those better outcomes. We won’t see the big effects of a YES vote the next day, but we’re going to see it in 5 years down the track. The alternative to voting Yes just reinforces racism, and puts us in a worse position than where we are now. It feels like the alternate to YES is extremely detrimental.”
A.B. Original’s ‘Yes’ is a powerful call to action, urging Australians to vote for inclusivity and progress in the Indigenous Voice Referendum.
