Rebel Essay Everyone knows the Black Lives Matter protest, but a few years ago, when there wasn't much popularity. To give attention to this and the horrendous acts that happened because of racism, many artists made songs to popularize the protest, such as “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar, “Be Free” by J. Cole, and “The Bigger Picture” by Lil Baby. Back in 2015, racism was strong and was only known to the ones getting punished for it. Kendrick Lamar made “Alright” to give attention to an incident where a 14-year-old kid was shot and killed while unarmed. This kid was handcuffed for underage drinking; this and many more incidents led to a protest and the making of this song. Kendrick puts lyrics like, "When our pride was low, looking at the world like, Where do we go?" I’m at the preacher's door, my knees getting weak, my gun might blow.” This is a nod towards the shooting that happened and how it feels when you have no sanctuary or solace to go back to. More lyrics in the song support the ideology of the BLM protest; “But if God got us, then we won’t be alright” acts as a mantra of hope and resilience amidst tribulation. …show more content…
J. Cole made "Be Free” in his honour with these lyrics: “All we want to do is break the chains. All we want to do is be free. This was later chanted in protests because of the powerful message that America, the “land of the free,” is still fighting inequality.” Cole released a written message with the song: "Rest in Peace to Michael Brown and to every young black man murdered in America, whether by the hands of white or black. I pray that one day the world will be filled with peace and rid of injustice. Only then will we all be