In the wake of all the tragedy happening Ferguson, and most recently in fatal shooting of a 12-year-old boy in Cleveland by a police officer, there has been a drastic shift in the culture. Raising awareness on social issues such as these has become a responsibility that we here at IFWT and Hot 97 have taken on, but there is more’s to be done. Joey Bada$$ agrees, as rappers and rap music have long served as a voice to shed light on issues inflicting communities important to those MCs. In a recently interview with MTV UK, the Brooklyn natives believes that our hip-hop leaders should use their voice for a positive impact.
Joey Bada$$ reacts to the Ferguson shooting and talks about the need for modern civil rights leaders with MTV.
“I think that it’s very important for artists to raise awareness in situations, especially worldwide situations,” the Brooklyn native told MTV UK while overseas in London. “Because I feel like, in today’s world, in today’s society, we don’t have as much civil rights leaders as we used to.”
“Back in the day, a civil rights leader would come on television and he’s well-known; everyone knows him, he’s like the president. Now, today, it’s like, we have very few — and the people of today who have that same stature are musicians. Now, it’s rappers who have that stature.”
With all the fans these artist gain and a wide audience eager to listen to them, Joey Bada$$ suggest that this gives them a platform and an opportunity to shed light on important issues.
“Me, as an artist, I’m always gonna try to do my part,” he said. “The more and more I grow, the bigger voice I become — so, the more people I can actually speak for. So I’m gonna try to utilize that to do nothing but positive things.”
Joey understands that there are other artists with even larger platforms thank he who have remained silent. He hopes that will change.
“Right now, we need leaders. We need someone to listen to.”
[MTV]
