People all over the world are reacting to the deaths of two black men who were shot by police in separate incidents this week, with their last moments captured on camera and widely viewed online. Figures from all over the Hip Hop landscape have been voicing their opinions, from The Game saying it’s time to fight back against police brutality, to Drake writing an open letter on Instagram, saying the video of Alton Sterling’s death left him “disheartened, emotional and truly scared.”
Joey Badass is known for his socio-conscious views and the Brooklyn rap star took to Instagram Wednesday night (July 6) with his own thoughts. He posted an image of a man’s profile kneeling in front of some CDs, a reference to the circumstances around the shooting of Alton Sterling, who was killed by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 5.
In the lengthy caption, the 21-year-old writes that he thinks it’s the government’s plan to incite black people into an uprising that they can quell violently. “They are literally begging for this to happen so they can kill us off faster using uprising and rebellion as the excuse,” the post says.
He also states that gangs should protect the communities they live in rather than contributing to their decline, writing “We are so quick to pick up a gun and kill one another but not quick enough to pick it up and protect one another for our human rights.”
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Here’s the full quote. Check out the IG post below.
“What the government is doing amongst our people is downright disturbing but not surprising. With all of the conflict and propaganda, I believe they are simply trying to start a civil war within the USA amongst black & white. They are simply pushing us to our limit so that we can all get together and rebel so that it makes it easier for them to kill us (black people mostly and anyone who acts out against them). Alton Sterling and those alike are happening everyday in this country. The scary part is MOST of these stories don’t make it to the news and reach the mass consciousness. It is for sure time that we as a people stand up for human rights and rebel against the system unapologetically. I just want everyone to be cautious about how they go about it because this is all a part of the governments plan… They are literally begging for this to happen so they can kill us off faster using uprising and rebellion as the excuse.. The cancerous foods, the chemical warfare, and the economic suffering is not working fast enough for them. They are many steps ahead of us in manifesting the future that they want for this country. We have to work together in not only battling them on a physical plane but to outsmart them on an intellectual mental level. As black and low income people, I think our gangs need to do a better job at protecting our communities and not assisting in destroying them. Who do we call when the police break the law?? We are so quick to pick up a gun and kill one another but not quick enough to pick it up and protect one another for our human rights. The code words to killing black men by police is “he has a gun!” That gives them the rights and incentives to shoot and most of the time it’s just a cellphone, wallet or a downright lie!. But what about them? They all got guns so what should we do because it’s always been clear that they don’t value our lives and that they want to harm us. My people are suffering and it’s been way too long. I’m tired of people acting like this isn’t happening and I’m tired of putting up these hashtags every time another story hits the media… What are we going to do? When will true justice be served?”
