Game, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Diddy, Fabolous, Wale And More Unite For Michael Brown Tribute Song ‘Don’t Shoot’

Many people, including some celebrities, have
spoken up in the aftermath of the shooting of
Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson,
Missouri. Chief among those are many members of
the hip-hop community, including J. Cole, T.I. ,
Talib Kweli , and Killer Mike .
On Wednesday (August 27), some of rap’s biggest
stars united to pay tribute to the late teen on a new
song, “Don’t Shoot.”
“Time to take a stand and save our future/ Like we
all got shot, we all got shot/ Throwing up our
hands, don’t let ‘em shoot us,” the chorus rings
out.
From there, we get verses that mix anger, sadness
and critique from Game, Rick Ross , 2 Chainz,
Diddy, Fabolous , Wale, Swizz Beatz, Yo Gotti,
Curren$y , Problem , King Pharaoh and TGT, as well
as an intro from DJ Khaled .
“I seen Cole out there/ Felt I should go out there/
They left that boy four hours in the cold out there/
They killin’ teens/ They killin’ dreams,” Game
laments on his opening verse.
“The issues in Ferguson really hit home for me
and I feel compelled to use my musical platform to
address this,” the Compton rapper told Rolling
Stone. “I am a black man with kids of my own that I
love more than anything and I cannot fathom a
horrific tragedy like Michael Brown’s happening to
them. This possibility has shaken me to my core.
That is why this song must be made and why it
was so easy for so many of my friends to come
together and unite against the injustice. I managed
to get everyone on board fairly easy, simply
because we have the hearts. We care and are
inclined to take a positive approach to resolving an
issue that has existed since the beginning of
mankind and that is racism and hatred towards
one another as human beings.”
Fabolous’ verse invokes another recent issue
that’s been getting headlines: “I seen a lotta ice
water tossed, and I know it’s for a cause/ My only
question is: What we doin’ for the loss?” the
Brooklyn rapper questions the recent ice bucket
challenge craze in his verse, later adding, “Shot
down, with his hands up/ That’s what occurred?/
Man, that sound absurd/ Matter of fact, to me, that
sound like murder.”
Listen to the six-minute tribute above, and you can
also purchase it on iTunes . The proceeds from the
sales will go towards the Michael Brown Memorial
Fund.