Music is a reflection of current events taking place in that geographical area and the voice of the people.
The Black Lives Matter movement is the grandchild of the Civil Rights movement. With America being under pressure because of the numerous killings of Black people due to police brutality, it is hard for people to remain optimistic about the future for Black men, women and children. The BLM movement makes sure that there are people on the front lines voicing their concerns for the Black community.
Here are some songs that show different levels of how people feel in the movement.
YG -Police Get Away with Murder
The song begins with “Oh this can’t be America /Y’all badge don’t mean/ Y’all got the right to take one of my ni--as lives” which is a direct statement about how some police officers have been abusing their power by killing unarmed Black people. Police get away with murder is a common statement that has been circulating after multiple police officers’ cases are continuously dropped after killing an unarmed person.
The song ends with YG naming multiple people that police officers have killed that were unarmed including Tyler Woods, David Jordan, and Laquan McDonald.
J. Cole – Be Free
J. Cole is an artist that is not afraid to articulate his opinion of current events taking place within the Black community. In “Be Free”, Cole gave an accurate depiction on how some people were feeling after the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson. Lyrics like “All we wanna do is take the chains off/ All we wanna do is break the chains off/All we wanna do is be free”, is a clear indication of the mistreatment of Black people dating back to slavery and how the community is essentially still bound because of the high prison rates and poverty levels.
“I'm lettin' you know/That there ain't no gun they make that can kill my soul” means tha injustices are thaing be going on in the world but the spirit of a Black person cannot be broken.
John Legend feat. Common – Glory
“Glory” is a song about the strength of people who won’t stop fighting until they are victorious. This song was featured on the soundtrack of Selma, a movie about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. “Justice for all just ain't specific enough” which is a direct shot at people who say “All Lives Matter” when downplaying the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement. “Now we right the wrongs in history /No one can win the war individually/It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people's energy/Welcome to the story we call victory” is very powerful because it is a reflection of the past but also shows that people are still working towards being completely equal. In addition, “Glory” won “Best Original Song” at the 2015Golden Globe Awards.
The BLM movement is a stressful fight yet one that will ultimately be beneficial for generations to come.
Black Lives Matter is a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life. According to Blacklivesmatter.com, #BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was placed on trial for his own murder.