When news broke of the acquittal of the four New York City police officers that brutally killed Sean Bell the day of his wedding [Read: NYC Detectives Acquitted in Sean Bell Slaying], many people were outraged. The Reverend Al Sharpton and members of the Bell family held a press conference to declare the fight for justice was far from over. Protesters gathered and marched throughout the city. And this past Monday, those who got the message were asked to wear all black.
But nowhere has the outrage been more palpable than in the hip-hop community. Several artists have wasted no time in expressing their anger and sadness by getting into the booth and recording tributes for Bell with intense passion and fervor. From the frustration of police misconduct to the sadness over how Bell’s wife and two kids must move on for the rest of their lives without their patriarch, every song touches on the multiple layers of misfortune in the wake of this sad, but all too familiar, tragedy.
Red Café: “Long Live Sean Bell”
Using audio footage from actual protests, the Brooklyn MC uses his rhymes to speak to the spirit of Sean Bell and tells about how he lost his own father in a similar fate.
Grafh: “Not Guilty (The People’s Verdict)”
Some of the strongest anti-police sentiment in this bunch, Grafh calls out three of the acquitted four officers (Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora, and Marc Cooper) by name, tells them to “stand down” and demands the city “strip them niggas of their badges.”
Joell Ortiz: “Fifty Shots (Streams of Consciousness)”
For two-and-a-half minutes, with no hooks, Ortiz goes in on the justice system and the necessity of updating the methods of Dr. Martin Luther King when he rhymes, “Dr. King said if they hit/not to hit them back/I love you Doc, but if they put a hand on me, they getting jacked.”
The Game: “911 Is A Joke (Cop Killa)”
The only contribution from a rapper outside of New York, this song will be featured on his upcoming album as reported on Vibe.com yesterday [Read: The Game Records New Song For Sean Bell].
Prodigy feat. Un Pacino: “Field Marshall P”
Prodigy recorded this song before the verdict was handed down, but has asked for the song to be released in dedication to the life of Sean Bell.
Mickey Factz: “I’m Sean (50 Shots More)”
Loosely titled after the “I’m Sean Bell” mantra shouted by protesters after the verdict, the Bronx rapper raps from the perspective of Sean Bell himself – from the moments before his death to the afterlife.
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