A week after 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson, people across the country are demanding justice, including a multitude of entertainers and other public figures. Roc Nation artist J. Cole is the latest to add his voice with a new track titled, "Be Free."
Backed by a news report with a sound bite from Dorian Johnson, Brown's friend and eyewitness to the shooting, the piano-driven ballad demands peace and calls for an end to gun violence.
In a statement, the 29-year-old Cole said he is "tired of being desensitized to the murder of black men."
There was a time in my life when I gave a fuck. Every chance I got I was screaming about it. I was younger. It's so easy to try to save the world when you're in college. You got nothing but time and no responsibility. But soon life hits you. No more dorms, no more meal plan, no more refund check. Nigga need a job. Nigga got rent. Got car note. Cable bill. Girlfriend moves in and becomes wife. Baby on the way. Career advances. Instagram is poppin. Lebron leaves Miami. LIFE HITS. We become distracted. We become numb. I became numb. But not anymore. That coulda been me, easily. It could have been my best friend. I'm tired of being desensitized to the murder of black men. I don't give a fuck if it's by police or peers. This shit is not normal. I made a song. This is how we feel.
Rest in Peace to Michael Brown and to every young black man murdered in America, whether by the hands of white or black. I pray that one day the world will be filled with peace and rid of injustice. Only then will we all Be Free.
Check out J. Cole's tribute to Michael Brown below.
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