In more recent news On August 14, 2014, J. Cole released the passionate song “Be Free” as a response to the horrific murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The tragic death of the unarmed young black kid raised more awareness on police brutality and created more tension in that city. Due to this tragic event, riots and protests emerged in Ferguson and the tension between the African Americans and the police grew. The song focuses on racism, police brutality and discrimination in America. J. Cole used his fame and musical lyrics to bring more awareness on the social inequality that is still occurring in today's society. J Cole writes in his lyrics Are we all “alone fighting on our own. Please give me a chance, I don't wanna dance, something’s got me down, I will stand my ground, Don’t just stand around, Don’t just stand around” (Cole)in these set of lyrics J Cole sounds desperate as he asks for a second chance to be seen as an equal. He is upset at the fact that everyday is a survival for African American, they are fighting for another day to live. Their dream wasn’t to just make it alive the next day, but to …show more content…
It has been shown that 98% of the time when singer/ rappers sings about women in their songs its usually degrading. Society puts pressure on women using music, videos, and lyrics to body shame women. “Those who continue to consume media are strongly influenced by stereotypical images of uniformly beautiful, obsessively thin and scantily dressed objects of male desire. And studies show that girls who are frequent viewers have the most negative opinion of their gender" (Media and Girls). The media can cause insecurities in teens. Lyrics like, “I’m looking for a dime that’s top of the line, cute face, small waist with a big behind”. (Ying Yang Twins) Lyrics like these objectify women and demean them. It holds them to unnatural and incapable beauty