Music
08 Jul 16

Jay-Z Releases Tribute Song For Alton Sterling and Philando Castile

As the disconcerting events unfold in Dallas, Texas following the shootings at the Black Live Matters protests, artists and cultural commentators are beginning to address the issue. Or at least to try...

In the wake of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile's deaths at the hands of white police men, Jay-Z decided to revive a song he had originally begun in 2014 after another citizen – Michael Brown – had been shot dead.
Jay-Z never quite finished what was a work-in-progress after Brown's death but the events that occurred over the past week have inspired him to get his feelings down on the whole issue of the mistreatment of Afro Americans by the US police force.
Michael Brown was shot dead in 2014 by a police officer, sparking outrage, mass rioting and protests in the immediate aftermath. Unfortunately, the segregation and disconnect the African American community feel in the US is deepened by the fatalities, at the hands of those who are supposed to protect them.
This morning, Jay-Z released 'Spirituality' via TIDAL along with a statement condemning the actions of the police force and their ongoing brutality. In the statement, Jay-Z emphasises how important the issue is, arguing that very little has changed, despite all the blood that has been spilled.
"This issue will always be relevant," Jay-Z says. "I'm hurt that I knew his (Brown's) death wouldn't be the last. 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."
The lyrics of 'Spirituality' further reinforce the points that Jay-Z feels so passionately about, in effect offering his support to the Black Lives Matters campaign. "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/ 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."
Tomorrow evening, Jay-Z's wife Beyoncé will take to Croke Park stage. An advocate for social justice, if – and how – she will address the issue will doubtless be one of the main talking points of tomorrow night's performance.