>>> WE’VE BEEN TRACKING TODAY’S
BREAKING NEWS.
AN EX-ATLANTA POLICE OFFICER TWO
SHOT AND KILLED RAYSHARD BROOKS
CHARGED WITH FELONY MURDER AND
TEN OTHER COUNTS.
THIS IS CALLING FOR POLICE
REFORM, BUT THERE’S ALSO A WIDER
CONVERSATION THAT SHOES HOW BIG
THIS IS.
WELL OUTSIDE OF PEOPLE WHO PAY
CLOSE ATTENTION TO THESE ISSUES.
CONSIDER THE CULTURE FIGURES
THAT HAVE BEEN WEIGHING IN.
ATLANTA HAWKS HEAD COACH LLOYD
PIERCE WAS ON "THE BEAT" EARLIER
THIS WEEK.
OR DAVE CHAPPELL RUSHING OUT
ANOTHER COMEDY SPECIAL THAT WAS
RAW AND EMOTIONAL.
8:46 ABOUT THE FLOYD KILLING.
AND TOP RAP ARTIST LIKE JAY COLE
OR ATLANTA’S OWN LITTLE BABY WHO
HAVE BEEN WEIGHING IN AND
SUPPORTING THE PROTESTS,
ADDRESSING RACISM IN THEIR WORK.
THESE ARE THE SIGNS OF A WIDER
MOVEMENT, ARTISTS USING THEIR
INFLUENCE TO PUSH OUT MESSAGES
TO ADDRESS SOCIAL JUSTICE AND TO
REVISIT MANY TIMES THINGS
THEY’VE BEEN SAYING FOR A LONG
TIME.
HIP-HOP TRAILBLAZER LL COOL J NO
STRANGER TO ANY OF THIS.
HE DELIVERED A POWERFUL BLACK
LIVES MATTER FREESTYLE THAT
SPREAD ONLINE THAT WAS JUST IN
THE DAYS FOLLOWING GEORGE
FLOYD’S DEATH BEFORE EVERYONE
ELSE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO
COME.
HE’S BEEN RETURNING TO HIS
ROOTS, HE CAME OF AGE WITH OTHER
SOCIAL JUSTICE RAPPERS.
TWO-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER,
AMERICAN ICON, LL COOL J JOINS
ME NOW.
WELCOME TO "THE BEAT," SIR.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME, ARI.
>> GREAT TO HAVE YOU DEBUT ON
THE SHOW.
LIKE MANY, I’M A FAN.
I STARTED WITH THE SERIOUS NEWS.
YOU KNOW, WE ARRANGED YOU TO
JOIN US BEFORE WE KNEW WHAT
WOULD HAPPEN THIS AFTERNOON.
YOUR REACTION TO THE D.A.’S
ANNOUNCEMENT OF A MURDER CHARGE?
>> I THINK IT’S THE RIGHT THING.
I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE
GOING TO HAVE TO REALLY DIG
DEEPER INTO THIS IDEA OF
IMPLICIT BIAS AND HOW THAT
EFFECTS PEOPLE’S DECISION
MAKING.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS IDEA
THAT PEOPLE AUTOMATICALLY ARE
AFRAID.
I THINK IF YOU’RE A PERSON WHO
IS FEARFUL, YOU SHOULDN’T BE
POLICING A COMMUNITY THAT MAKES
YOU FEARFUL.
BECAUSE THAT’S NOT A HEALTHY
MINDSET TO HAVE WHEN YOU’RE
THERE TO PROTECT.
YOU KNOW?
THE LAST TIME I CHECKED,
PROTECTING PEOPLE AND BEING
AFRAID DOESN’T SEEM LIKE A GOOD
COMBINATION.
I THINK BEING VIGILANT IS ONE
THING.
BUT FEAR IS A WHOLE OTHER THING.
AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I
THINK THAT THE WORLD, WE HAVE A
RIGHTEOUS AND JUST CAUSE.
WE HAVE A RIGHTEOUS BEEF.
THE WORLD KNOWS THAT THEY
WATCHED THAT MAN GET, YOU KNOW,
MURDERED, AND THEY WATCHED IT
HAPPEN OVER THE COURSE OF 8
MINUTES AND 46 SECONDS.
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IT
WASN’T DEBATABLE.
THERE WAS NO DEBATE.
THERE WAS NO SPLITTING HAIRS.
THERE WAS NO, WELL, MAYBE HE
REACHED FOR THE TASER, MAYBE HE
DIDN’T.
THERE WAS NO WELL, MAYBE HE KIND
OF LEANED TO THE LEFT A LITTLE
QUICKLY.
NO, YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED.
SO THAT’S WHY -- AND WHAT WE
HAVE ALSO FOUND OUT FROM THIS,
THE GLOBE IN GENERAL, PEOPLE ARE
INHERENTLY GOOD.
FOR THE MOST PART.
WHEN YOU LOOK OUT AT THOSE
PROTESTS AND YOU LOOK AT THE
PEOPLE ON THE FRONTLINES OUT
THERE, THEY’RE ALL HUGHES, ALL
ETHNICITIES, ALL RACES AND ALL
GENDERS.
BLACK LIVES ABSOLUTELY MATTER,
BUT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SO
MANY PEOPLE SUPPORTING THIS
MOVEMENT SHOWS YOU THAT WE DO
HAVE THE MORAL HIGH GROUND AND
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT’S REAL TO
PEOPLE AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS
RESPONDING.
I THINK FOR THE MOST PART ON THE
RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY, OTHER
THAN THE FEW, YOU KNOW, RACISTS
WHO ARE -- THEY’RE GOING TO BE
THERE TO THE END ANY WAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT’S GOING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I THINK WE’RE ONE STEP CLOSER TO
SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
>> IT’S INTERESTING TO HEAR YOU
CONTRAST THAT SAYING WHAT IS
WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM BUT WHAT
YOU SEE AS THE UPLIFT, THE LIGHT
PERHAPS IN PEOPLE COMING
TOGETHER.
WE MENTIONED AT THE TOP, AND I
WANT TO PLAY FOR VIEWERS TO SEE
AND HEAR YOUR WORK ON FLOYD,
BECAUSE AS WITH SO MANY ISSUES
AS IT SPREADS AND BUILDS, MORE
PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF IT.
BUT THAT STARTS SOMEWHERE, AND
IT STARTS AS YOU MENTIONED WITH
THE ACTIVISTS AND PROTESTERS,
PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS SO PEOPLE
COULDN’T IGNORE IT, AS WELL AS
ARTISTS AND OTHER STORYTELLERS.
SO LET’S LISTEN A LITTLE BIT,
THIS IS RIGHT AFTERWARD TO WHAT
YOU POSTED ONLINE ABOUT GEORGE
FLOYD.
HERE WE GO.
>> OKAY.
>> HE CRIED FOR HIS MOMMA AS THE
MURDER UNFOLDS.
IF IT WASN’T FOR THE PHONE,
CHAUVIN WOULD BE AT HOME.
I’M TELLING IT, YOU’RE NOT
ALONE.
THE NEW MALCOLM, MARCUS AND
MARCUSES ARE NOW GROWN.
>> AND YOU LOOKED REALLY UPSET
THERE.
WALK US WHAT YOU WERE GETTING
ACROSS AND WHAT YOU WERE
FEELING.
>> YOU KNOW, IT CAME FROM THE
HEART.
I TOSSED AND TURNED ALL NIGHT,
GETTING SLEEP, AND JUST GOT OUT
OF THE BED, NOT FROM -- I DIDN’T
WAKE UP, BUT GOT OUT OF THE BED
AT 7:00 IN THE MORNING WIDE AWAY
AND WAS INSPIRED AND WROTE THAT,
YOU KNOW, IN ABOUT 30, 40
MINUTES AND JUST SET IT, YOU
KNOW, DIRECTLY, YOU KNOW, INTO
MY PHONE, YOU KNOW WHAT I’M
SAYING?
IT CAME FROM THE HEART.
IT COMES FROM A PLACE OF LIKE,
LOOK, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
YOU KNOW, LET’S STOP SPLITTING
HAIRS AND UTILIZING THESE DOUBLE
STANDARDS TO HIDE RACISM.
BECAUSE THAT’S ALL IT IS.
YOU KNOW, THERE’S AN OLD SAYING,
YOU KNOW, POWER TAKES AS IN
GRATITUDE THE WRITHING OF ITS
VICTIMS.
I SAID, POWER TAKES AS
INGRATITUDE THE WRITHING OF ITS
VICTIMS.
IN OTHER WORDS, I PUT MY FOOT, I
PUT MY FOOT ON YOUR THROAT AND
YOU DISRESPECT ME WHEN YOU BLEED
ON MY SHOE.
YOU SEE WHAT I’M SAYING?
THAT’S WHAT WE’VE BEEN DEALING
WITH FOR A LONG TIME, THIS IDEA
THAT, YOU KNOW, THE LAW IS FOR
EVERYBODY ELSE.
THIS IDEA THAT THE RULES ARE FOR
EVERYBODY ELSE.
YOU KNOW, THAT’S A -- THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT HAD TO CHANGE.
I THINK THAT NOW MANY, MANY
PEOPLE HAVE JOINED IN AND THEY
REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR
US AS A SOCIETY.
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND
SOMETHING.
I WOULDN’T CARE IF THE DOW JONES
WAS AT 100,000, AND EVERYBODY
WAS DOING AMAZING.
WHEN THE MORALE OF THE COUNTRY
IS AS LOW AS IT IS RIGHT NOW,
THAT’S NOT A GOOD LOOK.
TO HAVE A ZILLION DOLLARS AND BE
DEPRESSED, WHAT IF SOMEBODY SAID
YOU COULD HAVE ALL THE MONEY IN
THE WORLD AND NEVER BE HAPPY
AGAIN?
IF YOU COULD HAVE ALL THE MONEY
IN THE WORLD BUT YOUR FAMILY
WOULD NEVER BE HAPPY AGAIN.
THAT’S WHAT WE’VE BEEN DEALING
WITH RIGHT NOW.
>> LL, IT’S DEEP.
BEFORE I LOSE YOU, BECAUSE I
ONLY HAVE A FEW SECONDS, WE DIG
DIG UP THE OLD LL TALKING ABOUT
HOW YOU WERE PRESENTING
SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE AROUND
AMERICA COULD GET BEHIND WITHIN
A SOCIETY, WITH ITS HISTORY OF
RACISM.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> OKAY.
>> FOR WHITE CORPORATE AMERICA,
WHO RIGHT NOW IS LOOKING AT THE
RAPPER ON TELEVISION, OR THE GUY
WITH THE BASEBALL HAT, YOU KNOW,
THE GUY WITH THE SHINY GOLD
WATCH WHO USES THE SLANG ON HIS
RECORDS.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF
ME.
I AM MERELY TRYING TO
PARTICIPATE IN CAPITALISM AND
PARTICIPATE IN THIS WORLD.
>> APOLOGIES, I HAVE 30 SECONDS,
BUT WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU
TO NAVIGATE THAT WAY?
>> BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE
DAY, IT GOES BACK TO THE REASON
I’M BUILDING ROCK THE BELLS.COM,
A PLATFORM THAT EVERYBODY WHO
LOVES CLASSIC HIP-HOP COULD
ENGAGE IN.
WE WANT TO PARTICIPATE.
SO NOW RUN DNC ARE OWNERS AND
ERIC B AND FAB FIVE FREDDIE AND
ROXANNE AND SALT AND PEPPER.
THIS TYPE OF A PLATFORM, WE WANT
TO PARTICIPATE.
IT’S TIME FOR OUR VOICES TO BE
HEARD, AND WE’RE DOING IT
THROUGH CLASSIC HIP-HOP NOW IN A
BIG WAY.
SO THAT’S KIND OF THE SHORT OF
IT.
BUT PEOPLE SHOULD GO TO THE
WEBSITE AND CHECK OUT EXACTLY
WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.
I THINK THAT IT’S REALLY
IMPORTANT FOR OUR COUNTRY AND
IMPORTANT FOR THE CULTURE.
WE HAVE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER.