B.o.B. is the latest emcee to speak about the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, though music. Today (Aug. 20), the No Genre 2 rapper released a new self-produced song "New Black," where he calls on his community to make a few changes.
He opens up the track by questioning who he's supposed to be as a black man: should he wear gold chains and grills or be more like Martin Luther King Jr.? What should he wear? How should he act? It's a bold statement on the state of race in America, but he doesn't end things there.
In light of violence from cops against African-Americans, B.o.B. encourages communities to hit people where it really hurts: their wallets.
"I'm just on some black mob s--t / The best way to protest is hit 'em where it hurts, their pockets / It's time to boycott s--t," he raps at one point. He also asks people to vote "not just for Obama" but at a local level, because that's "real power."
B.o.B. finishes up "New Black" with another strong message. In plain speak, he discusses how people should put their effort not just into complaining but also into real action and to "do something different" by opening new businesses and putting energy into the community.
Listen to B.o.B.'s "New Black" below, via Rap-Up:
B.o.B.'s new single "New Black" comes at a controversial time for the rapper. According to Bossip, earlier this week he took to his official Twitter account to criticize those who complain on the Internet, tweeting instead of taking real action.
