Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s latest collaboration, “The Light Is Coming,” has been well-received by fans…except for one small part. Throughout the track, a man can be heard screaming, “You wouldn’t let anybody speak!” in the background. WTF?! This sparked a debate on Twitter over what the heck this audio clip was from, and finally, a news editor, Madeline Roth, from MTV has figured it out. The clip actually comes from a 2009 Pennsylvania Town Hall and is of a man yelling at Sen. Arlen Specter in protest.
It’s unclear why Ariana, Nicki, and the song’s producer, Pharrell, decided to include this clip. However, Pharrell used another tidbit from the Town Hall in N.E.R.D’s song “Lemon” — that’s where the “Wait A Minute!” sample comes from, according to Madeline. The main issue discussed at the 2009 Town Hall was Obama’s planned changes to the healthcare system. About 80% of those who were attending were opposed to the plan, and did not hold back from letting their feelings be known in front of the Senator, according to the New York Times.
Listen to the original clip, which played on CNN, right here. Ariana has not commented on the use of the voice or why it’s included in the song.
soo, the sample in @ArianaGrande’s #TheLightIsComing (“you wouldn’t let anybody speak!”) appears to be from a CNN archive clip of a man shouting at Sen. Arlen Specter at a Pennsylvania town hall meeting in 2009 pic.twitter.com/z8Cz9sVLbm
— Madeline Roth (@madfitzroth) June 20, 2018
“The Light Is Coming” will be featured on Ariana’s upcoming album, “Sweetener.” Meanwhile, she’ll also appear on Nicki’s upcoming record on the song “Bed,” which was also released earlier this month. These two are quite the dynamic duo, huh!?