Crooked I “I Can’t Breathe”

New York has always been a breathing ground for hip-hop culture even during its fall from mainstream, so there probably will be a number of releases referencing the Eric Garner case in the next few days. Maino and Uncle Murda released "Hands Up" video yesterday, and Crooked I follows it up with "I Can't Breathe."

Over a sample of Tupac Shakur's "So Much Pain," Crooked I's protest song is unique in how it manages to encompass the range of emotions resulting from the Garner decision — from heartbreak to rage — in addition to the Tamir Rice and Michael Brown cases. "The cops hate a black man to death/ They tell me that mentality left, it didn't leave," Crooked I raps, possibly to many listeners nodding in agreement.

Filed Under: Bangers, Crooked I

Categories: Music, New Music