Hip-hop may have encouraged Joe Budden to snap on Drake and Meek Mill with his back-to-back diss tracks, but it also pushed him to vent his views and inner frustrations on social issues that continue to plague our country everyday. The Jersey City native drops knowledge about all sorts of hot topics from systematic racism, police brutality, #BlackLivesMatter and plenty more in his “Freedom” freestyle.
“I was told there was once a world where slaves communicated with each other via music, and tho I wasn’t present for that, the Hip-Hop I fell in love with always encouraged me to do the same (Thank you Public Enemy),” Joe said about the record.
READ: Joe Budden Teams Up With Fabolous & Tory Lanez For “Flex”
In the clip, impactful video of peaceful protests from as far back as the early days of the Civil Rights movement blend in with images from more recent protests to prove that times haven’t really changed.
The array of videos mashes The Million Man March, #BlackLivesMatter protests from coast to coast, and gut-wrenching images of blatant and irresponsible police brutality against people like Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Joe joins the growing squad of emcees like Jay Z, Scarface, and others who are taking a stand against it all in an effort to seek justice and change.
“Let this act as an unfortunate reminder that times change and they don’t,” Budden continued. “#BlackLivesMatter #YallLivesMatter #OurLivesMatter … I’m afraid to wonder what happens when we as a people decide to stop saying it. Some deem us threatening now by sheer design. We are not. We are loving, passionate, cultured and proud, even during unrest. However, with every life viciously and maliciously taken by costumed evil, we grow more and more afraid. What will occur when too many of us are afraid?”
Watch the deep visuals for Joe Budden’s “Freedom” freestyle below.