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While it may be difficult to see things clearly in these times of turmoil, when controversial trials like the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman one go public and become cultural touchstones, they inevitably inspire plenty of shared opinions. And as we continue to have our own private talks about what we think actually happened the night of Martin and Zimmerman's fateful altercation, many public figures have also taken to social media to express their feelings on the trial's verdict, which you can check out here.

Meanwhile, some artists—from Wyclef Jean to Styles P—have also taken to song to release timely and emotional responses to the injustice of Trayvon's murder. Unsurprisingly, this isn't a very new trend. Through tragedies both political and judicial from the past 20 years, rappers have always been vocal about their support (and opposition) to unjust current events. Here we've compiled 5 events that spawned new music from your favorite artists.

Rodney King
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Rodney King Beating Verdict, April 29, 1992 

On March 2, 1991, Rodney King and a group of friends were involved in a high-speed car chase with LAPD officers after a night out in Los Angeles. King was eventually pulled over (with some help from an LAPD helicopter), and his two friends were quickly detained. King, however, took his time emerging from the vehicle, and when he did, police were under the impression that he was on drugs, armed and dangerous. According to reports, King was tasered twice by LAPD Sergeant Stacey Koon, which is when a nearby resident George Holliday started to film the remainder of the confrontation, which included a full-on attack by eight officers on King. All said, the officers used batons and brutal force in the beating, and ended up hitting King with 33 blows and six kicks.

On April 29, 1992, the four officers mainly involved with the beating were acquitted of all charges. This verdict was said to have sparked the 1992 LA Riots, which left 53 dead and thousands injured before members of the Nation Guard and U.S. Marines were called in to help stop the rioting. The officers involved in the King beating would eventually be brought to a federal trial, after which two officers were eventually imprisoned, but in the heat of the L.A. Riots and the public's backlash to the LAPD's blatant police brutality and racial profiling, some major rappers took to music to talk about their feelings on the beatings. Rodney King and the Riots were the inspiration for songs like Willie D's "Rodney K," Ice Cube's "Predator" and Body Count's "Cop Killer," and Rodney would go on to be referenced on Digital Underground's "Odd Couple," Kid Frost's "I Got Pulled Over" and Geto Boys' "Crooked Officer."

Amadou
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Amadou Diallo Shooting Verdict, February 25, 2000

In a similar case as the Sean Bell shooting, on February 4, 1999, Amadou Diallo was murdered by police officers near his home in The Bronx. Diallo, who made his living selling goods near Manhattan's Union Square, apparently matched the description of a serial rapist in the area, prompting four police officers (from the now-defunct Street Crimes Unit) to approach Diallo. As soon as he saw them, Diallo apparently ran away, before eventually stopping and pulling out his wallet, which the cops believed was a weapon, causing them to immediately open fire and let off 41 gun shots (19 of which struck Diallo).

Almost exactly one year later, the officers were acquitted of all charges on February 25, 2000, leading to public demonstrations against police brutality and racial profiling with help from public figures like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, David Dinkins and Charlie Rangel. The incident was also spoken out against by rappers, sparking a 2000 EP from Mos Def and Talib Kweli called Hip Hop For Respect, as well as tribute songs like "What Would You Do?" from Bay Area rapper Paris, "Diallo" by Wyclef Jean and Dead Prez's "That's War."

SeanBell
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Sean Bell Shooting Verdict, April 25, 2008

On the night of November 25, 2006, a group of men got into a verbal altercation outside of Club Kalua in Jamaica, Queens. As the altercation quickly escalated, one of the men (a soon-to-be-married Sean Bell) allegedly mentioned a gun, which led an undercover officer to assume that gun violence would soon ensue. But, Bell got into his car and started to drive off with his group of friends, when he was approached by an unidentified officer and asked to stop the car. Instead, Bell reportedly accelerated and when another undercover officer thought he saw one of Bell's friends reaching for a gun, the undercover officers opened fire, letting off over 50 bullets and killing Bell. The police officers involved in the shooting were charged with counts of manslaughter and reckless endangerment, among other charges.

On April 25th of 2008, the three police officers involved were acquitted on all counts, sparking a litany of protests to the New York justice system in regards to its excessive force, leading to the eventual firing or resignation of the three officers and their commanding officer. While public figures like Al Sharpton protested the verdict, many rappers took it upon themselves to release new music to detail their dissatisfaction with the outcome of the trial. Within months of the verdict's announcement, Bun B released "Get Cha Issue," The Game dropped the controversial "Cop Killa (911 Is a Motha Fuckin' Joke)," G-Unit dedicated "Straight Outta Southside" to Bell, and artists like Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Mos Def and Das Racist's Himanshu Suri went on to reference Bell in new songs.

OccupyWallSt
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Occupy Wall Street Protests, September To November, 2011

On September 17th, 2011, a group of dissenters descended upon Zuccotti Park in New York's Financial District and began what would become known as Occupy Wall Street—a protest that rallied for social and economic equality in the U.S. The ever-growing group strived to bring awareness to income inequality via their slogan "We are the 99%," and called regular general assemblies on Wall Street in protest of major corporations and the New York Stock Exchange. Roughly two months later, on November 15, police forcefully removed protestors from the park, thereby essentially ending the protest movement.

Throughout its presence in Zuccotti Park, Occupy Wall Street drew visits from many celebrities, including central rap figures like Kanye West and Russell Simmons. The movement also inspired new music from more conscious-leaning acts like Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli (he released an Occupy-themed song called "Distraction") and Immortal Technique, who visited Occupy several times and dropped a series of freestyles about economic and social inequality.

TrayvonDad
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Trayvon Martin Shooting Verdict, July 13, 2013 

On the night of February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin—then a 17-year-old high school student—was walking through a gated community where he was staying at the time, when he was followed by George Zimmerman. After Zimmerman followed Martin for some time, the two apparently got into a physical altercation, leading to the shooting and eventual death of Martin. Zimmerman was eventually arrested and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.

On July 13, 2013, after roughly 5 weeks of litigation, the verdict was announced that Zimmerman was found not guilty, sparking a public outcry. While peaceful protests ensued and the entire world seemingly responded to the verdict via Twitter, some rappers took to song to express their thoughts on the issue, with Young Jeezy releasing "It's A Cold World," Wyclef Jean dropping "Justice (If You're 17)" and Styles P joining Raheem DeVaughn on "Trigga Man."

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