Last week, DJ D-Nice premiered a new track from Trey Songz during an Instagram Live session titled “Riots 2020: How Many Times,” an anthem for the protests that have been taking place all over the country following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. He further explained the release following D-Nice’s premiere:
“Three or four nights ago I woke up in the middle of my sleep…I couldn’t sleep. My chest was hurting. I got up and called my producer, Troy Taylor and I said ‘We’ve got to make music that really touches the soul, that really addresses what the world is feeling right now. Especially our people… So we came up with ‘2020 Riots: How Many Times.’ With the words in this song I just wanted to speak to everyone’s hearts and acknowledge the pain and anguish everyone is going through right now. I know this ain’t usually my message and you’re not used to hearing this from me, but this is the person I’ve always been.”
The song sees Trey taking aim at the powers that be that choose to remain silent and complicit as our lives continue to be taken from us:
“They’ll try to justify it, oh each and every time, playin’ in a park, takin’ your jog, sittin’ on the couch, in your own house/
Never seem to matter what we do, you think we don’t matter, but we do you got a problem, ‘cause the city on fire, but you quiet when n***as die…/”
In addition to the music, Trey Songz and Usher were on the front lines during the Los Angeles protests over the weekend, showing that the Virginia crooner is about action as well as speaking out for change.
You can press play on “Riots 2020: How Many Times” below. A portion of the song’s proceeds will go to Black Lives Matter and the National Bail Fund Network.