Rob Markman: Last month protests erupted across America
as the nation mourned the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands
of police.
On Arbery's case at the hands of armed white men who claimed to be carrying out a citizen's
arrest.
As people took to the streets to demand justice and an end to police brutality and white supremacy,
music, specifically hip hop music became part of the movement.
Kendrick Lamar's “Alright” and Childish Gambino's “This Is America” surged in
streaming numbers.
Hip hop artists like Meek Mill, YG, D Smoke and his brother SiR responded with new music
that speaks to systemic racism.
Truth is, hip hop music has always been the music of resistance.
Hip hop was birthed on the streets of the Bronx, New York in the '70s.
And prioritize the voices of marginalized black and brown people.
By the 1980s, MCs began to highlight issues like police brutality, poverty, and systemic
racism, all of which plagued their communities but often went ignored.
Rob Markman: From the '80s to the '90s, hip hop brought
us anthems.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
Like their song “The Message”.
Or NWA's “Fuck Tha Police.”
There was Public Enemy's “Fight The Power,” Sister Souljah's “The Hate That Hate Produced,”
The Coup's “Genocide & Juice” album, Queen Latifah's “U.N.I.T.Y.,” 2Pac's “Changes.”
The list goes on and on and on.
By late '90s and the early 2000s, protest music of hip hop had become less popular.
While lbums like Dead Prez's, “Let's Get Free” and Immortal Technique's “Revolutionary,”
volume one and two stood as soundtracks for freedom movements.
The era was largely defined by fun party records like “It's All About The Benjamins,” which
featured Puff Daddy, The Lox, the late Notorious B.I.G. and the legendary verse from Lil Kim.
The flashy rap music of the ‘90s was still powerful because those rappers rose out of
an oppressive system and became symbols of success.
Rob Markman: Some may say there's nothing radical about
rap music that pushes consumerism.
But the fact that these rappers were able to rise above poverty and find success in
spite of all of the racism in the music industry and the world, it became an inspiration for
the next generation of black kids.
And that's inherently political.
In case of rapper and executive Master P and his No Limit Records, he inspired a generation
of upcoming artists to focus on black ownership.
In more recent years, political rap music has risen in the mainstream.
YG's “FDT” or as more popularly known, “Fuck Donald Trump” became a rallying
cry during the 2016 presidential election.
Kendrick Lamar's 2015 song “Alright” offered an inspiring message of hope during the black
lives matter protests.
J. Cole's “Neighbors” gave a firsthand account of the way that rich and successful
black Americans are still impacted by biased police calls.
Rob Markman: Cole's latest song, the controversial “Snow
On Tha Bluff” is currently causing a stir online.
Time will tell if it'll hold up as a defining song for this generation of protestors.
While we may expect the Coles and the Kendricks to provide the soundtrack for the marches,
songs from less obvious artists have made it to the front lines too.
In Minneapolis, protesters blasted Chief Keef's “Faneto” in front of the city's third
precinct.
Fivio Foreign's “Big Drip” echoed through the streets of New York City as protestors
marched past Trump Tower.
Crowds have erupted into dance circles while chanting the lyrics to the late Pop Smoke's
“Dior” at the top of their lungs.
Rob Markman: "Dior" doesn't include a single mention of police
brutality or racism.
And it has been called out for one particular homophobic line.
Instead, protestors shout "Mike Amiri, Mike Amiri, Billy Jean, Billy Jean, Christian Dior,
Dior, I'm up in all the stores."
Some may question why activists have taken to the streets chanting lines from Fivio Foreign,
Pop Smoke and Chief Keef.
And I want to shout out writers Alphonse Pierre, Shamira Ibrahim and David Aaron Brake for
reporting on this.
The reality is that embracing black joy in the face of police is a form of resistance.
These are the artists that resonate with young protestors.
So it's only natural that when they celebrate black life, they do so while listening to
songs that they love.
Resistance takes many forms, whether it's blasting Fuck Tha Police while marching with
your fist in the air, or dancing to drill music at a protest.
Hip hop has always been rooted in resistance.
And there's no doubt that it still is today.
Rob Markman: Thanks for watching this episode of ‘For
The Record.’
What did y'all think about the way that music has become part of the recent protests against
police brutality?
Where y'all surprised to hear Pop Smoke played at the protests?
Also, what did you think of J. Cole “Snow On Tha Bluff” and Noname's response?
We want to hear from you so let us know in the comments below, and you'll know that I'll
be chiming right there in the comments with you, all right.
Tune in next week for the latest in music news and artists interviews, and of course,
subscribe to our YouTube channel for more.
Peace.