?uestlove Urges Artists And Musicians To Write Protest Songs

I urge and challenge musicians and artists alike to push themselves to be a voice of the times that we live in. I know that many see what happened to Dixie Chicks' #NatalieMaines @mainesmusic (she bravely expressed her opinion/dismay on the Bush administration declaring war & was unjustly targeted....while in hindsight being CORRECT) suddenly there was an onslaught of radio silence from artists across the board (correction not everyone was silent, but the silence was deafening) although I'm kinda/sorta addressing the hip hop nation I really apply this challenge to ALL artists. We need new Dylans. New Public Enemys. New Simones. New De La Roachas. New ideas! But it just doesn't stop there!! We need outlets (hello #ClearChannel #RadioOne #Vh1) to balance the system. Yeah I'm just as guilty of feeling the high of all that I despise ("Devil's Pie" D'angelo) but the reason why this nation seems to be moving 3 steps ahead in some areas.....but then 7 steps backwards in every area is a lack of balance. I'm not saying every song gotta be "Fight The Power" but in times like these we need to be more community minded (taking a wild guess that "urban radio's" format didn't change much from the pre program stuff (using that word *politely*) we've been hearing for years. & when I say challenge I don't mean breathless race to the finish on who makes the more banging "Fuck Tha Police" sequel. I mean real stories. Real narratives. Songs with spirit in them. Songs with solutions. Songs with questions. Protest songs don't have to be boring or non danceable or ready made for the next Olympics. They just have to speak truth. I laugh & have fun w "Bitch You Guessed It" like everyone else. But my soul is aching man. Seriously just ONE or Two songs that change the course. This is something I feel the need and urgency to put out there. #EricGarner #MikeBrown #JusticeForAll #FeedMySoul #HandsUpDontShoot #ICantBreathe

A photo posted by Questlove Gomez (@questlove) on Dec 12, 2014 at 9:09am PST

With the police department and judicial system continuing to evoke rage across the country, hip-hop artists have been on a mission to remain extremely vocal about coming together to help make a change in the Black community. Diddy recently took to Instagram (see above) to urge artists to construct an organized plan to help improve living conditions and influence a ripple effect throughout the community. Now, ?uestlove has stepped up to the plate to challenge artists and musicians to create protest songs. He wants them to dig deep in their hearts in order to produce thought-provoking songs that forces fans to get up and act.

Several artists have already created songs that focus on the recent murders of Mike Brown and Eric Garner, like J. Cole's "Be Free" and Mick Jenkins' "Treat Me." Magic is bound to come through the radio waves sooner than later.

[Instagram]

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