Even while currently incarcerated, Juelz Santana has found the ability to pay tribute to George Floyd, who was recently slain by police in Minneapolis. The Harlem emcee took to social media to reveal a verse that takes aim at the powers that be, and how lopsided the value of life can be for the oppressed:
“All they want to do is persecute us, shoot us when they ain’t gotta shoot us/
They kill us, turn around, and then protect they own, meanwhile we can’t even protect our own/
If we try, they lock us up and don’t wan’ send us home, next time you see your kids, they be already grown/
Only God can judge me, only heaven knows, gotta keep a weapon close, or I’ll end up ghost…/”
On May 25, George Floyd was arrested by law enforcement over claims of check forgery. Cell phone footage showed a white Minneapolis police officer named Derek Chauvin with his knee on a handcuffed Floyd’s neck for several minutes, all while he was stating that he couldn’t breathe. Since then, protests have taken form all over the city, escalating to property destruction and looting.
Several celebrities have since taken to social media to pay tribute to Floyd, who used to perform as a member of the legendary Houston, TX collective Screwed Up Click, and denounce the actions of the involved officers, all of whom were reportedly fired due to the incident that took place. Cardi B was one of the main artists to speak up:
“Enough is enough! What will it take ? A civil war ? A new president? Violent riots ? It’s tired ! I’m tired ! The country is tired !You don’t put fear in people when you do this you just show how coward YOU ARE ! And how America is really not the land of the free !”
You can press play on Juelz Santana’s heartfelt verse below.