Police brutality isn't a new trend. Hip-hop has been reporting on mistreatment by cops for decades. Here are some standout lines.

Cop Killers: 13 Rap Lyrics About Police Murdering Civilians

August 14, 2014 - 8:27 pm by John Kennedy TWITTER

Police brutality is nothing new.

The tally of victims reads like a roll call: Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, Oscar Grant. The list is seemingly eternal, and the protesting in Ferguson, which resembles a war zone, is just the latest stand for justice.

Hip-hop has been reporting on police brutality for decades now. With the pain of Eric Garner and 18-year-old Michael Brown still raw, VIBE digs up rap sheets from over the years to find lyrics that air out the boys in blue. Do you really feel safe? —Darryl Robertson

Police brutality isn't a new trend. Hip-hop has been reporting on mistreatment by cops for decades. Here are some standout lines.

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Killer Mike on police brutality

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Killer Mike "Don't Die" (2012) "Thinking 'Is these motherfucking pigs going crazy'/They wanna kill a nigga 'cause a nigga's on this rap shit…" [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Nas on police brutality

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Nas "America" (2008) "The hypocrisy is all I can see/White cops acquitted for murder/black cop cop a plea…" [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Nas on police brutality

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Kanye West Feat. Nas, KRS-One & Rakim "The Classic" (2007) Nas: "Cops keep firing in my environment/Leave you slumped over then they drive home far from the hood..." [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Lupe Fiasco on police brutality

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Lupe Fiasco "Hurt Me Soul" (2006) "I have sex for money/The hood don't love me/The cops want to kill me/This nonsense built me…" [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Z-Ro on police brutality

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Z-Ro "Crooked Officer" (2004) "I put my hands up to slow and I got shot in the back..." [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

The Roots on police brutality

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The Roots "Stay Cool" (2004) Black Thought: "From the block where crooked cops killing like villains..." [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

dead prez on police brutality

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dead prez "We Need A Revolution" (2002) "I can stop these cops from killing/I can feed these hungry chidden…" [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Scarface on police brutality

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Scarface Feat. Ice Cube "Hand of the Dead Body" (1994) Scarface: "A tisket and tasket/A nigga got his ass kicked/Shot in the face by a cop, closed casket…" [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Geto Boys on police brutality

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Geto Boys "Crooked Officer" (1993) Scarface: "Just because you legally pack a gat man/Doesn't necessarily mean you have to point it at the black man" [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Ice T on police brutality

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Ice T "Cop Killer" (1992) "For every cop that has ever taken advantage of somebody, beat'em down or hurt 'em because they got long hair, listen to the wrong kinda music, wrong color, whatever they thought was the reason to do it…" [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Tupac on police brutality

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Tupac Shakur "Soulja's Story" (1991) "You think crime is rising now?/You got Whites killing blacks/Cops killing blacks/And blacks killing blacks..." [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

BDP on police brutality

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Boogie Down Productions "Who Protects Us From You?" (1989) "If I hit you, I'll be killed/But, you hit me, I can sue/Looking through my history book I've watched you as you grew/Killing blacks and calling it the law and worshipping Jesus too.." [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

N.W.A. on police brutality

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N.W.A. "Fuck The Police" (1988) Ice Cube: "A young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown/And, not the other color, so police think they have the authority to kill a minority.." [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

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