Rapper Killer Mike, Metalcore Band, I Prevail, Release Music Following George Floyd's Death

Artists turn to their medium to comment on the death of George Floyd as Killer Mike sampled lyrics from his upcoming album. At the same time, metalcore act I Prevail released an updated music video, Thursday, May 28.

Killer Mike rapped about police brutality in his upcoming album with rapper-producer EI-P, "Run The Jewels 4." The duo, collectively known as Run The Jewels, is set to drop on June 5. However, the timeliness of his lyrics prompted Mike to tease the track via his Instagram account. His IG video showed only his speakers blasting the lyrics: "And every day on the evening news they feed you fear for free/ And you so numb you watch the cops choke out a man like me."

"And 'til my voice goes from a shriek to whisper, 'I can't breathe'/ And you sit there in the house on couch and watch it on TV," Killer Mike raps.

His post on Wednesday evening was captioned with his statement that he will keep pushing for a better society, but he refuses "to not acknowledge" the one with whom he's stuck. He also added that RTJ4, their upcoming album, is on the way.

While the song was written before the George Floyd incident, it supports the growing public outcry and calls for justice. George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was arrested Monday, May 25, on suspicions of forgery. He was pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck, causing him to lose consciousness. Floyd later died due to the incident.

Metalcore band, I Prevail released an updated music video for their last year's single, "DOA," featuring "Will" rapper Joyner Lucas. The music video was preceded by a disclaimer for the disturbing scenes filling the track. I Prevail's clean vocals sang, "On our knees, we pray as we waste away/ And we dig our grave, dead on arrival."

The haunting video of modern social media culture and mass shootings are driven home by Lucas' now-timely verse, "But the internet will kill me quicker than the streets will / And if that shit doesn't kill me, then the police will." Eric Vanlerberghe adds to the nightmarishly realistic track with his scream, "I can't breathe," which was among Floyd's last words as he lied pinned on the ground, moments before passing out.

Celebrities continue to join the call, including pop icon Madonna, who recently uploaded a video of her son David Bandadancing in honor of Floyd, as well as everyone facing racism and discrimination. The 14-year-old boy, who Madonna adopted when he was just 13 months old, danced to Michael Jackson's 1996 anthem "They Don't Really Care About Us."

Madonna has earlier posted on Instagram, condemning the arrest attempt that ultimately killed Floyd, concluding her post with "F**k The Police!"

British actor John Boyega from the "Star Wars" franchise also railed off on Twitter, writing, "I really f**king hate racists." While the actor of Nigerian descent faced backlash for his posts, he shot critics down and stood by his statement.

Watch I Prevail and Joyner Lucas' "DOA" below:

Tags

Killer Mike, Run The Jewels, Madonna