There have already been plenty of hip-hop songs released in response to last week's police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, including heartfelt records from Chris Brown, Miguel, Boogie, Z-Ro, and more. Now, a whole squad of veterans has stepped up with a collab entitled "I Can't Breathe" -- the last words of Eric Garner before he was suffocated by a police officer in July 2014.
The lineup on "I Can't Breathe" consists of a handful of celebrated veterans who are revered for the activist message of their music. They are: KRS-One, Sticky Fingaz of the group Onyx, Talib Kweli, Brooklyn dancehall/reggae great Mad Lion, Brother J of the X Clan, and lastly, Samuel L. Jackson, who provides the spoken word intro and also sings the hook, which goes:
"I can hear my neighbor crying, 'I can't breathe' / Now I'm in the struggle, and I can't leave / Calling out the violence of the racist police / We ain't gonna stop 'til people are free"
Mad Lion is also the producer of "I Can't Breathe." Whose verse resonated with you the most?
Quotable Lyrics
Your chance of dying from an American cop
8 times more likely than a terrorist plot
I'm like, wow, who the terrorists now?
- Talib Kweli