Last month, super producers and songwriters Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Johnta Austin, and Bryan Michael Cox came together to create a song titled “Change,” a rally cry that was featured on the pro-Biden/Harris “I Will Vote Concert.” The release sees additional assistance from a wealth of fellow artists, including Kirk Franklin, Common, Rotimi, Eric Bellinger, Anthony Hamilton, and the Detroit Youth Choir. The single speaks mainly to Black youth and the needs they have as American citizens:
“I see that you want it, I see that you’re working for it, so don’t take no days off, it’s gonna pay off, I see that you love it, I want you to know that/
Before you can see it, you gotta believe it, you’re the generation of tomorrow, the pursuit starts today, and all time is borrowed, so you have none to waste…/”
Speaking to VIBE, Dupri further explained the track’s meaning:
“We created the song to call attention to these long-standing issues… Members of the global community are now awakened to issues affecting BIPOC. The global pandemic forced us all to reevaluate everything from our health to police brutality and systemic racism. We are now witnessing a paradigm shift that creates an opportunity for real impactful change. ‘ Change ’ only resonates the need for topics that should have always been prioritized.”
“Change” also comes with an accompanying black-and-white visual that mixes what is presumed to be self-recordings from the contributing artists with shots of protests, Coronavirus first responders, and more. The clip ends with the simplest message of all — to vote for that change you’re looking for in this year’s election.
Press play on Jermaine Dupri & Co’s “Change” below. 100 percent of the single’s proceeds will go to the Social Change Fund, who aims “to invest in and support organizations that are working to liberate Black people and advocate for indigenous people and communities of color.”
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