LL Cool J has delivered a visceral freestyle in response to the recent police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, as well as the numerous other African American men and women who have died at the hands of police brutality and racist violence. The hip hop veteran shared his almost three-minute rap in an Instagram post on Sunday (May 31).
“For 400 years, you had your knees on our necks/ A garden of evil, with no seeds of respect,” LL beings his rhyme, also referencing the COVID-19 stimulus check with lines, “I can’t be bought with a $1,200 check/ Even though $1,200 dollars can make a meal stretch.”
Rapping about the ongoing nationwide protests, LL spits, “Jumpin’ up and down on police cars, I’m vexed/ After Chauvin killed George Floyd, we got next.”
“They tried to run me over and arrest me and sh*t/ Tased, pepper sprayed and engaged with the kid/ They ran up in the state house with them AK’s quick/ But let a ni**a try and do that white boy sh*t,” he continues.
LL lists several victims of police brutality and racist violence, including Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo and others.
“Sandra wasn’t Bland/They hated Mike ’cause he’s brown/Trayvon should’ve had an Aston Martin riding around/Amadou Diallo, its way to many to follow,” he raps, also mentioning Taylor with: “And I ain’t got to tell you that Breonna Taylor got slain in her own home.”
“Watching that man die slow left a hole/ He cried for his mama as the murder unfold/ If it wasn’t for them phones, Chauvin would be at home,” LL raps about Floyd. “Feeling justified because of George skin tone/ I’m telling it those with melanin you’re not alone/ The new Malcolm, Martin and Marcuses are now grown/ America is a graveyard full of Black men’s bones.”
Prior to the video, LL also shared photos of protesting over the past weekend, captioned, “This is what America looks like on May 30th 2020.” Watch his entire freestyle below.