Song: "Be Free" by J. Cole

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=227&v=9VzpCmRtCL0
^ Link to the song being performed.


Who/What: The song "Be Free" by Rapper J. Cole. J. Cole is an African American rapper who is very popular and a well known hip-hop artist. The object is the song and its protest of the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri . The song is made to protest racism against African Americans and the several recent unjustified shootings of very young African American men by United States police officers. The song came out several days after Michael Brown died and actually references the death of Trayvon Martin, another African American teenager, who was also recently shot and killed by a police officer.

Where: All over the United States. J. Cole is a very prominent rapper with a following throughout the United States and potentially elsewhere. He definitely tours throughout the entire United States as does the news covering the shootings. The protest delivered by his song can definitely be felt anywhere people have heard about the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson.


When: The song was uploaded to J. Cole's Soundcloud account several days after the shooting of Michael Brown which occured on August 9th, 2014 (Sisario).

Why: The song uses very powerful lyrics to paint a portrait of the racism still felt by the African American population in the United States. This song brings the issue to a huge audience and publicizes it in a powerful way, by being released only a few days after the shooting. It brings a voice to the African Americans who feel unsafe due to the racism and violent prejudice of United States Police Officers.

The identities that are represented by this song are the African American men who have come to fear the racism held by members of the US police. The shootings have created a deep desire to uproot racism in the police force all over the US. The song represents the identities of those men who hold this desire and represents protest of that racism.




Works Cited:

Sisario, Ben. "A Song Born When Pain is Still Fresh." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2014. Web. 07 Sept. 2016.