LITTLE KING - Who’s Illegal? (Lyric video)

“Who’s Illegal?” Is the third song on Little King’s album LENTE VIVIENTE, release 9/26/25.

Taken from an interview with Breathing the Core magazine: https://www.breathingthecore.com/2025/08/track-by-tracks-little-king-lente.html 

“I moved back to Tucson in 2020 to be near my elderly mom. Moved with my son, Asher, who recently graduated from high school and will be studying film and TV at the UofA here locally starting this August. I lived here once before, from 1990-92, and of course I lived off and on in El Paso, just 4.5 hours to the east of here, from 1992-2008 (this is the FIRST LK record of 8 that wasn't recorded in the city limits of El Paso.)

In any event, Tucson and El Paso are both literally at the front lines of the immigration "crisis." My studio in downtown Tucson is the heart of the city, and it is about 2 blocks from an area called the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson, aka "the Presidio." It's a place where 4 cultures have mixed since the 1600s...Tribes like the Tohono O'odham, Pascua Yaqui, and Hohokam have been here for thousands of years. Of course, the Spanish, Mexican, and "American" missionaries, settlers, and armies all have been here for a long time. Walking around the modern-day Presidio, where the military from all three nations once occupied the fort, I am always struck by the juxtaposition of those historical occupations and the current inclusion into modern downtown Tucson. There are monuments to war, old missions, and too many homeless folks (more on that later) to count. So tell me, after all this time and all the arbitrary assignment of this land to "governments" and warlords..."Who's Illegal"? "Ignorant of time...prejudicial pride, it's only to divide..." Can't we all take a step back and lead with love?

Musically, I dropped the bottom E to D, and I made sure that there was adequate SPACE between the suspended chords I'm playing in the verses. There's such a fun and playful interplay between Dave and me, as he really found a melodic groove that ended up carrying the vocal lines as well. Tony is tasteful, as always, and the structure of this tune really emphasizes the emotional push and pull of the lyrics. It's an "odd little number," I think...which is probably why I love it. The middle section alternates between 6/8 and 9/8 because I love making things as hard as possible on myself. Okay, on EVERYONE! But it makes perfect sense to my brain in the context of this track. We are gonna shoot a video for this one, I think, featuring all of the beautiful and historical murals in downtown Tucson...truly a remarkable feature of my current hometown.” - Ryan Rosoff

Little King is:

Ryan Rosoff, Guitars and Vocals
David Hamilton, Bass Guitar
Tony Bojorquez, Drums

Lyrics and Music by Ryan Rosoff for MadBell Records, ASCAP, (c) 2025, All Rights Reserved

Drone footage by Laura Burt in Tucson
Video Edited (and additional footage) by Vien Nguyen in Minneapolis, MN

Taken from the album Lente Viviente
Produced by Ryan Rosoff
Recorded by Ricky Wascher at Cimamusic
Mixed by Daniel Salcido at Command Space Audio
Mastered by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering

Lyrics:

What’s your name?
It’s good to meet you
Where you from?
South Presidio

We’re mostly the same
In every way

But you’re illegal

It’s been your home
But now it’s over
So, pack your things

Ten generations
Of families
Moved back and forth
Settled on the south side

Legal

Artificial lines
Over-fortified

Who’s illegal?

All the dirty hands-
No one owns the land

Or the seeds
That’s evil

Prejudicial pride
Ignorant of time

Closely scrutinized
You will realize
Only to divide-
Culture genocide

We live here…

It’s still our home
We’re all alone
In the Presidio

Ten generations

Dreamed
Achieved
Peaceful
Equal

It’s still your home
You’re not alone
We believe

You’re legal…