Hip Hop artists took to Twitter Monday (November 24) to react to a St. Louis County grand jury decision not to indict the Ferguson police officer who killed teenager Michael Brown in August.
“I’m heartbroken over the news of no indictment in Ferguson,” Pharrell says via Twitter. “Let’s all pray for peace.”
The grand jury was assembled to pour over all evidence in the shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old African-American student Michael Brown. Police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Brown yet the jury concluded that there was not evidence to formally bring Wilson to trial.
“I am so fucking angry…” Killer Mike says in a series of tweets. “ The Crowd is attacking ‘Police Cars.’ It’s the system the hate! Officers they cud be attacking YOU but they are not. #Think #DontShoot.”
Wilson could have been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, first-degree involuntary manslaughter or second-degree involuntary manslaughter. Mississippi artist Big K.R.I.T. says that there was no justice served today.
“Sending my prayers out to the family and friends of Mike Brown,” Big K.R.I.T. says in a tweet. “ Praying for all the people out there in Ferguson. No justice out here!!!”
Michael Brown’s parents, Lesly McSpadeden and Michael Brown, Sr. released a statement shortly after the grand jury verdict came through.
“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” the parents said. “While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.”
West Coast artist YG tweeted in support of the Brown family.
“WOW. WTF. Prayers go out 2 the brown family. SMH,” YG said.
After Brown’s death in August months of protest and civil unrest followed. News reports speculate that this verdict will only ramp up the reactions of the protestors. Killer Mike spoke to CNN to discuss what might happen in this scenario.
“If this police officer is not arrested what immediately may happen is some rioting,” Killer Mike says to CNN. “There will be tears and pain and agony and burning, and I hope it’s not that, but what really happens if this police officer isn’t arrested is all of our rights are continually thrown out of the window. I’m afraid for all Americans, I’m not just afraid for Black Americans today. “
In August, J. Cole dropped “Be Free,” a tribute to the protestors in Ferguson. Listen to J. Cole and eight other Hip Hop tributes to Ferguson in this HipHopDX piece.
Pharrell’s, Killer Mike’s, Big K.R.I.T. and YG’s Tweets are as follows:
RELATED: Killer Mike, Big Boi, Nelly React To Mike Brown Shooting
Ti goes to jail for buying guns, max b does life for a murder he was nowhere close to where he was at the time of the murder, oj is in jail for stealing his own stuff, meek mill is in jail for doing a interview at a gun range, and this cop kills a young man in broad daylight with cameras filming him and mike brown showing that he has surrendered to the cop and was in no way going to harm the cop and the cop gets no time in jail and zero punishment for his actions….America is truly fucked up.
IT’S NOT PERSONAL. IT’S THE AMERICAN WAY. BLACKS ARE CONSIDERED A PROBLEM; NOT A PERSON. WAS THE KID WRONG FOR ACTIONS? DEFINITELY. BUT DID HE DESERVE TO DIE OVER IT? THE THING IS, IN MAINSTREAM AMERICAN CULTURE, THE POLICE ARE CONSIDERED MORALLY WELLSTANDING. ANYONE WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH. ARE ALL COPS BAD? DO THEY INTEND TO BE BAD? PROBABLY NOT. BUT IF YOU ARE BLACK, AND YOU HAVE ANY INCIDENT WITH COPS OR EVEN FLASHLIGHT COPS, THEY WILL FUCKING KILL YOU WITH LITTLE TO NO REGARD.
where is the video of him surrendering?
Where is this video you speak of?
I get why people are mad, what I don’t get is people looting and vandalizing businesses. That shit does nothing but make them look bad. It makes it look like they’re only protesting for their own selfish reasons. On CNN, after they started looting, one protestor said, “Why are you looting these businesses, they’re black owned”. The logic behind that is insanely ass backward. So many of them are talking about how this was a race issue, yet they’re saying that they shouldn’t be looting businesses owned by black people, but it’s okay to loot stores that are owned by other races. You shouldn’t be fucking looting at all. Yelling “Fuck the Police”, and then destroying restaurants and businesses that have nothing to do with the cops, is ridiculous.
Exactly. They just use that as an excuse to steal. And that makes them almost as bad because they are showing zero respect for the dead. You may as well have shot him yourself or pissed on his grave because you are disrespecting him beyond everything imaginable by doing stupid ass hoodlum shit like this in his “honour”
grow up kids, bad apples everywhere. what you should be asking is why national guard & cops left those businesses unsecure.
“I get why people are mad, what I don’t get is people looting and vandalizing businesses” LOL what else are niggas gonna do on a tuesday?
“grow up kids, bad apples everywhere. what you should be asking is why national guard & cops left those businesses unsecure.” be fucking real, you whine when they showed up the first time, now you whine when they dont show up the second time, detecting a theme?
@ d tach
Because if the National Guard came in, people would start bitching about how “The Army invaded Ferguson”. Why the fuck should we “grow up” when there are dumb motherfuckers in Ferguson bitching about police being racist and how they are destroying the community, when the they themselves are being just as racist and destroying their own business that helps their community. Fuck out of here you retard.
INSURGENTS WILL BE LAUGHING AT AMERICANS RIGHT NOW……
FREEDOM???????REALLY
AND THEN YOU WILL SHOW SOMEHEAD BEING CUT OFF
#SAME HERE
#NOJUSTICE
#SORRY MIKEY THATS LIFE FOR YOU.
#EVERYBODY WILL DIE SOMEDAY EVEN THE POLICEOFFICER
all work boots unharmed and accounted for
Killer Mike is a boss…
Jay-Z is human dogshit
Kanye West doesn’t care about black people but he’ll open a sweatshop in China.
Shut up, you nutsack.
Riot nigggers riot!!!
Chill out cracker jack.
lol, justice has been served 🙂
True.. Justice was served by the government not god you trick, you’ll be feeling hell’s heat very soon my friend.. Your ancestors been killing and stealing but we all know that shit don’t last forever, you all will be back eating people shortly..
Lol yeah why dont you tell that to Michael Shit stain Brown or Ashtrayvon Martin………oh wait, their dead LMAO.
Hope the cops kill every one of you worthless shit stains. Have fun destroying your own communities…….even tho thats what yall are doing anyway with feeding drugs to your own and killing your own, raping your own, lol. You fucking animals will never learn……:)
Those are cute smiley faces and LOLs. Fitting for a 13 year old boy.
“Those are cute smiley faces and LOLs. Fitting for a 13 year old boy” Thanks. nice to know its getting under your skin LMAO………….:):):):):):):):)
You flatter yourself. I’m just pointing out your immaturity because your comments deserve pity, not anger. Children and mentally disabled people simply don’t have the mental capacity or life experience to know any better, I’m not sure which of those two categories you fall into but you’ve given yourself away.
Can’t believe your dumb ass would even say the words rape and stealing, lol.. Listen you ignorant fool that only knows the history of your lying thieving ancestors how could you not see how many new young white kids that your training to kill us has now turned the gun on you fool, lol.. You don’t see all the white kids going crazy shooting up every school in America?? Only because they are not ready to continue to carry that lying ass torch you cannibals carry.. Do you realize you can’t deny anything I’m saying about you?? Watch Oliver Twist so you can see where ThugLife started, you don’t have a clue why your as evil and hateful as you are, to find that you must go back into time, you know, HIghlanders and Lowladers is where your history begins.. You don’t have culture and this is why you try to steal everyone elses… The truth is out Bitchboy, you keep banging behind the keypad until your door hits the floor you Cannibal..
Should’ve expected it there’s never gonna be justice for minorities in America its been like and always will be. Niggas in Ferguson need to let it go and move on before the shit gets out of hand resulting in more deaths. We’re stuck and nothing we can do about it but move on and pray its not us or one our own later on.
There is something to do and that is teach not only the youth both adults also need to learn their rights.. Don’t worry about not spending money on black Friday because we have to focus on everyday and what we can do everyday is stay out of their way and courts.. The only way that this can happen is if we collectively learn our rights and how defend ourselves against this system. When you learn how to assert your rights police officers treat you as if your white and I’m living proof, we have to master looking them in the eyes and killing them with kindness, we must have a new strategy as far as hitting them in the pocket.. They depend on us and they don’t want us to know this.. If you haven’t watched 10 rules of dealing with police do it fast..
I get the anger and understanding wanting to fuck up cop cars, but what’s the fucking point of destroying locally owned stores?
What exactly does fucking up your own community do to help balance the injustice that was dealt?
Fuck that nigga. Niggas need to start thinkin about what might happen once they start stealin n threatinin folks.I hate the police as much as anyone but I dont like niggas thinkin they can just get tough with whoever n do whatever they feel.
I thought Jay-Z’s comments were moving and thouhtful both. What a soulful, inspiring man he is.
Glad Kanye is opening up that sweatshop in China, he cares a lot about black people.
The time for retribution is now. An Eye For An Eye must come to fruition. Who’s ready?
Man fuck a prayer. Send some guns down there. Let’s bust back at them. This hands up don’t shoot thing isn’t working, niggas been having our hands since since the last 500 years and they’re still shooting
I hear you loud and clear but don’t leave out the educational part, it seems to be the hardest thing to achieve but that’s the only way we’ll be able to hurt the enemy, we know they money hungry so we gotta figure out a way to outsmart them because that’s where we’re losing, we don’t need guns we ninjas to stop being dumb.. It really works, I constantly punk cops with knowing the law, this is our weakness.. If you don’t know the language of the police you or your children shouldn’t be in these streets, as you see it’s very dangerous..
yall got plenty of guns or do you not watch the news
Don’t want to hear shit from a rapper, they’re not the leaders and they can’t speak to this because they’re not equipped with solutions and if you’d like a solution google 10 rules of dealing with the police and watch that and practice with your kids just like you take them to karate lessons or basketball practice, teach them how to look a police officer in the eye and say OFFICER I DON’T CONSENT TO SEARCHES so are you detaining me? Or am I free to go? No warrant No search and I bet you anything that cop will know not to funk with your kid because he don’t want a lawsuit.. (TEACH A BLACK KID THEIR RIGHTS AND HE’LL GET TREATED LIKE HE WHITE) Better yet google Verbal Judo so you can know what they know and how they’re taught and groomed to trick us and knock us off our feet, buts if we don’t go to jail they don’t eat.. I’ll respect rappers when they start implementing strategy and like skills in their music like 2pac did and this is why Pac is still outselling these clowns today.. #EMPLOY #EMPOWER #EDUCATE
I’m from St.louis and the situation here is tense. Everybody is scared of something… and you can feel the tension in the air! Everywhere
Ive now seen so many undercover cops in unmarked SUV’s its crazy. Some muthafuckaz was knocking on my window at 3 a.m! Moving around my house n shit.
Forget peace we have been peaceful or so long… White ppl didn’t get what they want with peace
how have we been peaceful to our own race?