
MIchael Brown


Talib Kweli Throws a Benefit Concert in Honor of Michael Brown
PEACE from Chicago to STL. @Common #FergusonIsEverywhere
A video posted by @westindianroots on Aug 9, 2015 at 11:05pm PDT
Yesterday (Aug. 9) marked the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Mo. In honor of the late teen slain by Officer Darren Wilson, Talib Kweli hosted a benefit concert called "Ferguson Is Everywhere" at Fubar in St...

Raury and Malik Shakur Remember Michael Brown in “Fly” Video
Written in the wake of a grand jury's failure to indict Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson, Raury and Malik Shakur's "Fly" aims to be a song of healing, a processing tool in the wake of a tragedy. After Wilson killed Michael Brown in August of last year, there was an outpouring of support, vigils and protests, with artists like J...

Talib Kweli Says Most Ferguson Protests Weren’t Really Riots On ‘The Nightly Show’
Talib Kweli is nothing if not committed. Where other rappers and celebrities might pay a social cause lip service, the Brooklyn rapper has the follow through that fans and followers admire. His involvement in the ongoing protests in and related to the killing of Michael Brown Ferguson, Mo...

Azealia Banks Calls Kendrick Lamar’s Ferguson Comments “The Dumbest Sh-t I’ve Ever Heard”
No one would dare call Azealia Banks shy. The rapper, whose Broke With Expensive Taste was finally released late last year, has spent the last several months embroiled in feuds with other artists, often centered on the roles of race and gender in music and culture...

Macklemore Says He Betrayed Kendrick Lamar’s Trust
Much like he and producer Ryan Lewis' 2012 album, The Heist, Macklemore's race and the discussion thereof has become inescapable. From regional underground artist to NPR curiosity to the Grammys, the Seattle populist has been picked up and dissected by most Americans concerned with popular culture...

Pusha T Feels “Artists Definitely Should Be Speaking Out” Against Police Brutality
Pusha T is conflicted. Earlier this week, while backstage at his Adidas launch party in SoHo (carp-scaled shoes; the sportswear giant didn't go for the national soccer jerseys adorned with cartel names) Push reflected on the day's events...

D’Angelo Rushes ‘Black Messiah’ Album Release To Coincide With Police Brutality Protests
D'Angelo's Black Messiah was released late Sunday night (Dec. 14) to rave reviews; it was the first studio-quality music from the renowned singer in nearly 15 years. According to The New York Times, you weren't the only one who hadn't heard the third D'Angelo LP until Sunday—neither had his label executives.
F...

Kanye West Tweets #BlackLivesMatter In Solidarity With Protesters
600,000 people rallied for justice on Dec. 13th #blacklivesmatter
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 16, 2014
One of hip-hop's favorite pastimes is complaining that rappers preach too much. Then, when a political crisis arises, with it comes a great moral panic——are our rappers saying too little? Do they even car...

RZA Thinks America Cares More About Dogs Than Black Children
There is a mutiny in Shaolin. Though the sixth (and likely final) Wu-Tang album, A Better Tomorrow, was released earlier this month, you can't find it on the Twitter feeds of the group's three most visible members. Method Man, Ghostface, and Raekwon have all abstained from the promotional cycle...

Killer Mike Isn’t Going On A College Speaking Tour
Update (Dec. 10 6:10 p.m.): Turns out Run The Jewels member Killer Mike isn't really going on a college tour to speak to today's youth about our controversial society. In fact, according to Spin he doesn't even have a partnership with Gotham Artists. The...

Uncle Murda Rents Out County Jail To Shoot Music Videos, People Get Mad
Update (Dec. 12, 12:10 p.m.): Earlier this morning (Dec. 12), the New York Post reported outrage over two public defenders' participation in Uncle Murda and Maino's "Hands Up" video. The Post called the protest song "sickening" and "disgusting," citing scenes where the rappers hold guns to the heads of white police officers...