As the country erupts once more in protest over the death of Antonio Brown in Berkeley, Missouri, just two miles from Ferguson and the non-indictment of a Houston police officer in the killing of an unarmed black man, Questlove shares his thoughts on why the music community has remained largely silent on the issue. In an interview with Billboard, Questlove suggested that artists are afraid of "being blackballed and not making a living. " He refers to the example of the Dixie Chicks in 2003 when Natalie Maines told an audience that she was ashamed George Bush was from Texas.
"We were like, 'Man, if a white woman can lose her career in the United States for speaking up for what's right, then sh*t, we'll get the electric chair.' I think that was the bottom line. And that just really rendered America silent."
His comments come in the wake of the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri and after a Staten Island grand jury did not indict a New York City police officer in the death of Eric Garner.
He uses D'Angelo's recent album Black Messiah, which was released early as a reaction to the protests, as an example for what a successful protest record could be, saying, "With this D'Angelo record," he added, "there's definitely going to be a sea change of people not being afraid anymore, and really putting their art ahead of their commerce concerns."
Though many artists besides D'Angelo have been afraid to release protest songs, several have released songs to express their feelings like J. Cole, T.I., Alicia Keys and a few others.
There have been some protest songs released since Michael Brown's death, but none have stuck as an anthem for the movement in the same way that "Ohio" from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, did after the killings of four Kent State students at the hands of the military in 1970. Questlove is looking for artists to take that risk and express their politic beliefs through song.
