Two months after returning home from prison, Meek Mill unveiled a politically-charged new song at the 2018 BET Awards, focusing in on themes of police brutality and prison reform issues.
Performing in front of street imagery that depicted police violence and a jail scene, Meek wore a sweatshirt that portrayed the faces of slain rappers XXXTentacion on the front and Jimmy Wopo on the back.
Shortly after the BET Awards performance, "Stay Woke" made its way onto streaming services. Hear it on iTunes/Apple Music and Spotify or via YouTube below.
Digging in to the political climate that plagues America today, Meek delivers a series of poignant bars:
We scream black lives matter but we still toting ladders
Watching our own brothers trying to get at us
Dreams get shattered when a scene full of crackers and they charge you with some shit you ain't do
You like what happen
We go get lawyers to say shit we don’t know how to talk
They told us to hate each other before we learn how to walk
Between Meek's verses, Miguel sings an equally political chorus:
It was designed for us to fail
Still prevail through the hell
Though it was designed for us to lose
Nothing, nothing, nothing’s impossible
Believe it, we’re still undefeated
Watch Meek's performance of "Stay Woke" at the BET Awards at the top of the page. Head here for the rest of the night's performances.
