It’s 2015; approximately 24 years since Rodney King was beaten by the LAPD; 16 years since Amadou Diallo caught an onslaught of NYPD gunfire and it is still damn near impossible for the country to place absolute faith in law enforcement. That’s not to mention the countless cases where the victim did not die, or were simply violated.
The immense success of the N.W.A biopic, Straight Outta Compton has pushed the groundbreaking record “F*ck tha Police” back to the forefront of conversation but the tragic takeaway is a song created in 1988 still holds its full weight to this very day.
Police officers can moan and groan they want but until they actively get involved in their local communities instead of acting scary all the time, music will continue to reflect their surroundings.
Take a listen to several other Hip-Hop songs that slam police brutality down below. Again, their relevancy is disgraceful.
KRS-One – “30 Cops Or More” (1990)
The Blastmaster made “Sound of the Police” a crossover catchy tune but that didn’t mean it was his first anti-police anthem. Try this BDP gem on for size.
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Photo: Universal Pictures
Big L ft. Fat Joe – “The Enemy” (1998)
The late, great Lamont Coleman reminded rap heads that running through the streets of New York as a minority was an automatic probable cause for being arrested. Additionally, the song is one of DJ Premier’s finest productions.
Ice Cube ft. Chuck D – “Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)” (1990)
Just because Cube had cut his N.W.A ties didn’t mean he still didn’t have some “F*ck the Police” left in him. AmeriKKKa’s Most and The Rebel went toe to toe on how cops use young Black males as target practice.
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony – “No Surrender” (1994)
Coming straight outta Cleveland, the Bone Thugs hit the scene with utmost militancy; rejecting everything a badge and a gun stood for.
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony – “Body Rott” (1997)
Yeah, even as millionaires, Bone had no reason to show the cops any love.
Main Source – “Just a Friendly Game of Baseball” (1991)
Large Professor cleverly used America’s Pastime as a metaphor for the way bullets take brothers out like a failed slide on second base. The record is featured on dual homes in Main Source’s classic debut Breaking Atoms and the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack.
dead prez – “For The Hood” (2004)
M1 and stic.man have several songs denouncing crooked cops but this particular track took a more poetic approach on how it’s important for communities to band together and fight brutality in a unified movement.
Fun Fact: This is a Kanye West beat.
Brand Nubian – “Claimin’ I’m A Criminal” (1994)
Were the Nubs describing an encounter with a gang or the NYPD here? The lines get kind of blurred.
G-Unit – “Straight Outta Southside” (2007)
For their sophomore album Terminate On Sight 50 Cent & Co. channeled the N.W.A and created an opening record billed as a “Sean Bell tribute.”
Killer Mike – “Don’t Die” (2012)
Even as the son of a police officer, the Run the Jeweler isn’t naive to the injustice the boys in blue manage to skate away with on a regular basis.
LL Cool J – “Illegal Search” (1990)
The legendary Cool James never gets his props for his socio-conscious material outside of his jams catered to the ladies. Here’s one you may have missed over the years.
Talib Kweli – “The Proud” (2002)
A political angle on the police state from a hood perspective. In other words, it’s simply poignant.
Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone – “Ridin'” (2005)
Sure, the message got lost when this joint became a MTV Jam of the Week mainstay but the Houston rapper-who rarely swears–was a perfect candidate for the endless racial profiling in America.
Ice Cube – “Who Got The Camera” (1992)
Before the days of prevalent cell phone usage, “The Predator” knew it was vital for someone to have a camcorder so “allegedly” didn’t hold up in court.
2Pac – “Holler If Ya Hear Me” (1993)
Even when it wasn’t the highlighted topic, Tupac Shakur always peppered his songs with the cruel reality that cops can be enemies more often than friends to the young, Black male. Holler if you feel him.
Hip-Hop Songs That Slam Police Brutality
