Beanie Sigel drops a new track to describe the recent events America has faced on "Still Public Enemy" where he grapples with the country's fatal shootings at the hands of police.
"The revolution will be televised," he says, a play on words of Gil Scott-Heron's famous poem and song about the need of change within, which he also wrote after encountering personal tragedy. From there, Sigel vents his frustrations in the wake of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile's senseless deaths over a StreetRunner-produced beat that was mixed by Young Guru.
The track uses powerful soundbites to conjure up equally evocative emotions as Sigel calls back to N.W.A. iconic track, "Fuck Tha Police," that depicted the constant struggle between authorities and L.A. gangs in the late '80s. The group's decades old message is more relevant than ever and its meaning here definitely doesn't go unnoticed.
The true gut-punch comes at the end where Sigel includes the heartbreaking words of Diamond Reynolds, the fiancé of Philando Castile, who describes the moment she watched police kill him in front of her and her 4-year-old daughter. "They took his life for no reason. They did this to my daughter, they did it to me, and I want justice," she says as the song trails off.
Artists have been utilizing their platform for peace in recent weeks by organizing rallies and dropping protest tracks meant to inspire change in a time of political chaos and tragedy. Jay Z, Miguel, Swizz Beatz, Slim Thug, and Young Buck are only a handful of artists that have been trying to affect change through music.
On "Still Public Enemy," Sigel's raw emotion is as apparent as ever. Listen to it below.
