(Newswire.net — June 27, 2020) — During the past few months, not much has been able to displace the COVID-19 pandemic from the front page of news articles all over the world; however, the Black Lives Matter movement has been able to do exactly that. Today, people do not have to look far in order to see Black Lives Matter protests across some of the largest cities in the world. In addition to some of the epicenters of the movement such as Minneapolis, Atlanta, Houston, and Seattle, there have been Black Lives Matter protests taking place internationally. This simply serves as a reminder of the global nature of this movement, as signs read everything from “Stop Killing Us” to “Mattering Should Be the Minimum.” While it is sad that it has taken the deaths of George Floyd and others to get people to pay attention, it is good that the world is finally starting to open its eyes to the inequities that are being highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.
It is also important to highlight the role that rap music, including music featured on Rap TV, is playing in the Black Lives Matter. There have been large protests taking place even in the nation’s capital in Washington D.C., where the White House has decided to do everything from use tear gas to disperse protesters to threatening to unleash vicious dogs on the protesters, which cannot do anything except evoke images of protests that took place during the 1960s and 1990s. Indeed, it is somewhat appropriate that the protesters were blaring “Fight the Power,” a hip hop song from the band Public Enemy that was released in 1989. At that point, the date was June 14, and a dance party to rap music was literally breaking out in the streets outside of the White House.
As widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism continue to take shame throughout the United States, that song will continue to play. It is somewhat of an anthem as civil rights leaders continue to blare music from James Brown and the Isley Brothers along with current beats. Protesters even evoked the Ludacris Song “Move B—-” as they were fenced in by police officers on the Manhattan Bridge. Ludacris even reposted the song on his own Instagram account. Indeed, these are just a few of the most powerful examples of the role that rap music is playing during the Black Lives Matter movement. It is awesome to see the inspirational power that rap music has for all of these people, as music has always been a way for society to highlight many of the issues and inequities that plague it.
Now, nobody who has been a fan of rap music should be surprised to see the role that it is playing during the Black Lives Matter movement. The origins of rap music can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, it was serving as a protest for the same problems. That protests involving the Black Lives Matter continue to this day simply serve as a reminder of the incredible distance that society still has to go in order to address the problems that plague modern society. While the most recent wave of protests serves as a response to the killing of George Floyd on May 25, the chants of “I Can’t Breathe” have been going on for much longer. During this time, rap music has been at the center of all of it.
The reality is that rap music has served as a way for protesters to make their voices heard. While the Black Lives Matter is evoking it today, hip hop artists were using their voices to fight back against police violence during the 1980s and 1990s as well. Without a doubt, the most famous song was from NWA, whose famous song “F the Police” still rings loud and true, decades after it was released back in 1988. A fellow rapped from LA, Ice T, got a lot of backlash for his song “Cop Killer” back in 1992. These are just two of the most prominent examples of how rap music has played a role in the protests against police brutality for decades.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Black Lives Matter is continuing to evoke rap music to spread its message. It has played such a powerful role throughout the years and the younger generation is starting to rise up. With so many young artists starting to make their voices heard, this is only serving as a way to amplify the message of protesters involving the Black Lives Matter movement. While many of the protests have focused on issues involving police brutality, rap music during the Black Lives Matter is speaking to other issues as well. For example, there is systemic racism in this country that the Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted. This includes how the COVID-19 pandemic is killing minorities, including African Americans, at a much larger rate than in other parts of the country. This is largely because the community is more vulnerable. They live closer together. They have higher rates of obesity and diabetes. It is harder for them to see a doctor. All of this has to do with the socioeconomic inequities that continue to plague their community.
These are just a few of the many ways in which rap music is serving as a backdrop to the protests involving the Black Lives Matter movement. Rap artists have made their voices heard through these protests. While it is sad that many of the messages from prior decades still have to be played during the Black Lives Matter movement today, their voices have inspired a new generation of protesters. It will be exciting to see what role rap music plays in the future. Without a doubt, the Black Lives Matter movement will remain strong.