Brandon Micheal Hall, who plays Courtney Rose, the titular mayor of ABC’s The Mayor, has acquitted himself well with each release from the musical sitcom’s soundtrack, which is being released weekly through Sub Pop Records.
This week may just be his piece de resistance, with his performance of “Do Something With It,” penned as usual by the show’s executive producer Daveed Diggs. A politically-conscious barn burner, “Do Something With It” finds Hall in character as Rose reminiscing about lessons taught to him by his mother about controversial revolutionary and activist Malcolm X, as well as addressing the racist history of American society.
In the context of the show itself, it’s an older song of Courtney’s that resurfaces during a planned tour of Fort Grey by the governor of California and threatens to bring embarrassment to Courtney and his staff, as well as threatening much-needed funding for the city. Courtney is confronted with the choice of disowning his truly-held beliefs and apologizing for the song or staying true to himself and jeopardizing Fort Grey.
It’s intriguing stuff, and surprisingly true to life, as the news is becoming more and more filled with stories of ordinary citizens — some of whom have colorful pasts of their own — running for and winning local public office.
The Mayor airs Tuesdays at 9:30 PM EST on ABC.
