Crews | Day 7 | Bass Reeves and the U.S. Marshals

There is a rumor that the Lone Ranger was a Black man.
 
His name was Bass Reeves.
 
One legend says he won a card game.
 
…against his slave “master.”
 
…during the Civil War.
 
And when the white man got mad (we BEEN knowing how to play Spades!) and started an altercation, Bass opened a can of beat-down and escaped to Indian Territory where he lived among the Cherokee, Creeks and Seminoles. He learned their languages, studied their ways, earned their loyalty and - at the emancipation of a nation - Bass Reeves rose like a Phoenix to become the greatest American hero of the West.
 
Meet the real ranger: Bass Reeves. Deputy. Gunslinger. Law man. Free. Protector of Black towns. Apple of every woman’s eye. Cheered by children. Outlaws beware.
 
Bass Reeves has been featured in more movies than we can count and yet most people don’t even know his name.
 
So today we say it.
 
And he wasn’t some fictional solo actor - that’s a Hollywood lie.
 
He had a crew - a network of Indigenous Americans, Black townspeople, trusted informants and U.S Deputies, so he could nab THOUSANDS of bad guys and ride into the sunset.
 
Get on your horses ladies, and let’s take a ride through time.



Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excepts reference or played during this broadcast. You can find original content that was referenced or played here:

Bedstuy Parade and Funeral March | Jay-Z:
https://open.spotify.com/track/01da6Nb55VXzvS14CzbLjY?si=cf81686b82654d14

The Harder They Fall | Koffee:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6AxSYAHq0U6fKykB7uScPl?si=89af4fb441b04f22