"Bullet and a Target" is a song by

Citizen Cope Clarence Greenwood (born May 20, 1968), also known by his stage name, Citizen Cope, is an American singer-songwriter and producer. His music is commonly described as a mix of blues music, blues, soul music, soul, hip hop music, hip hop, folk mus ...

recorded by

Australian hip hop Australian hip-hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and was initially largely inspired by hip-hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of musi ...

trio

Bliss n Eso Bliss n Eso (formerly known as Bliss n' Esoterikizm) are an Australian hip hop trio based in Sydney. The group consists of emcees Bliss and Eso, and DJ Izm, and they are currently signed to Melbourne record label Illusive Sounds, and are manag ...

, with featured vocals from Connections Zulu Choir. The song was released as the lead single from the trio's third studio album '' Flying Colours'' on 27 October 2007. Their version of Bullet and a Target was inspired by the living conditions Bliss, Eso, and Izm had witnessed when visiting

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in 2007. Bullet and a Target peaked at No. 43 on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, making it their first top 50 single and second top 100 single.

Content

The song is about Bliss n Eso's experience observing the poverty during their trip to Africa in 2007. It is a reworking of

's "Bullet and a Target".

Background

Bliss n Eso were invited to South Africa by The Oaktree Foundation alongside

Evermore ''Evermore'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the ninth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was surprise-released on December 11, 2020, by Republic Records. Swift conceived ''Evermore'' as a "sister record" to its p ...

to show the situation in Africa to the Australian public. Bliss n Eso stayed in

for ten days and shot the song's music video during their stay. Speaking of the experience in Africa, Eso said "You could be strong, thick skinned, but everyone had to have a moment where they had to be by themselves and sit down in the car and soak in what was going on". Bliss n Eso donated 100% of profits raised by the song to help poverty stricken communities in

Music video

The music video was shot during Bliss n Eso's ten-day stay in Africa. It features Bliss n Eso rapping the song as they walk through African neighborhoods, and the Connections Zulu Choir and other Africans singing the chorus. The music video has around 600,000 views on YouTube and 300,000 in another upload.

Track listing

Critical reception

The song received a highly positive reception. Polaroidsofandroids.com wrote "However, this album isn't without its pleasurable moments. The lead single, Bullet and a Target, recorded with a 20-piece Zulu choir, is maybe the best 'get up, stand up' Australian hip-hop song that The Herd never recorded."

Chart performance

The song debuted at No. 52 on the

. The song peaked at No. 43 and spent a total of five weeks in the top 100.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2007 songs Bliss n Eso songs Illusive Sounds singles