Rick Ross' new album, Mastermind began streaming for free last night, and a lyric controversy has already arisen as a result. The line in question comes in the 11th track, "Black & White" where Ross says "Trayvon Martin, I’m never missing my target". Today also happens to be the second anniversary of Trayvon's death, so the lyrics comes at an especially sensitive time.
Learning from his infamous "UOENO" controversy, Ross has decided to be up front about the lyrics from the get-go, issuing a statement through Vibe today.
Ross explains that the line is meant to acknowledge that Trayvon could have been any member of the black community, saying "I am Trayvon Martin, we're all Trayvon Martin," and stressing that as a person of color, "you have to be accurate, whatever moves you make, stay accurate. Even when you're walking down the street, playing music from your car, you have to stay on point."
Read his full statement below.
It's so important that today, on the two-year anniversary of the death of Trayvon Martin, we never forget that tragedy. I'm never going to let the world forget that name. In my song 'Black and White' off Mastermind I say, 'Trayvon Martin, I'm never missing my target'. There I'm reminding people that if you're a black person or a person of any color for that matter in this country, you have to be accurate, whatever moves you make, stay accurate. Even when you're walking down the street, playing music from your car, you have to stay on point."
Black men are being killed and their killers [are] beating the trial. It hasn't been this much violence against black men since the '60s. I am Trayvon Martin, we're all Trayvon Martin. He was from South Florida. That could have been me or one of my homies. So, stay alert and never miss your target. Whatever that target may be. Getting out the hood, providing from your family. Stay sharp. Stay alive. Trayvon, Rest in Peace.