Jay Z breaks his silence amid recent killings of black men at the hands of police. Come inside to hear Hov’s emotional new track “Spiritual”….
This week has shaped up to be a devastating week in regards to black men being gunned down at the hands of police officers. Police slaughtered Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and both murders were caught on camera.
Now, Jay Z is breaking his silence in an emotional new song titled “Spiritual,” his first solo single since 2013.
He raps,
Yeah, I am not poison, no I am not poison
Just a boy from the hood that
Got my hands in the air
In despair don’t shoot
I just wanna do good, ah
I am not poison, no I am not poison
Just a boy from the hood that
Got my hands in the air
In despair don’t shoot
I just wanna do good, uh
Hov goes on to rap about the complexities of trying to raise his daughter Blue Ivy in this crazy world:
Can’t even raise my little daughter, my little Carter
We call her Blue cause it’s sad that
How can I be a dad that, I never had that
Shattered in a million pieces, where the glass at
I need a drink, shrink or something
I need an angelic voice to sing something
Bless my soul, extend your arms, I’m cold
Hold me for a half hour until I am whole, yeah
Along with the track, Jay penned an open letter spilling out his disappointment in America and how he began writing the song a while ago when police gunned down Ferguson teen Michael Brown. The letter reads in part:
“I’m saddened and disappointed in this America – we should be further along. WE ARE NOT. I trust God and know everything that happens is for our greatest good, but man … it’s tough right now. Blessings to all the families that have lost loved one to police brutality.”
He ended his letter with a quote by Frederick Douglas that says, “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons or property will be safe.”
We’re seeing this quote play out in real time today.
Take a listen to a snippet from “Spiritual” below:
You can listen to the full track on TIDAL.
Photos: Getty/TIDAL’s Twitter