Photo Credit: Crillmatic
Black Thought of The Roots recorded an original tune for the upcoming six part documentary series, Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, which debuts on July 30, 2018. Jay-Z is one of the series executive producers.
Black Thought not only addresses the murder of Trayvon Martin, but he poignantly addresses the history of the systemic racism that America is built on.
Potent lyrics include “In America, one tradition that lasts/ Is black blood woven into the fibers of the flag” and “So called “leaders” on hire for the Klan.”
Black Thought also admonishes those that feel that past injustices such as slavery and segregation should just be left in past with the line “Not addressing the problems of the past/ To nowhere fast, but following the path.” You can’t just let the past go when those issues have never been properly resolved.
The link between the past and present is also powerfully highlighted with the lyric “For every Trayvon Martin, there was an Emmett Till.” Till was a 14-year-old who was lynched in Mississippi on August 28, 1955. Both Till and Martin became a catalyst for protest movements.
The tune also holds out hope that innocent black lives that have been senselessly murdered will eventually inspire lasting change. For that to happen the current white washing of past injustices will have to end.