Listen to J. Cole's Tribute to Michael Brown, "Be Free"
In light of Michael Brown's death and protests in Ferguson, Missouri, J. Cole has made his statement with a new track "Be Free." Over the somber strains of the piano, Cole pleads for peace as he moves from impassioned singing to spoken-word sections. "All we want to do is take the chains off / All we want to do is be free," he declares, sounding as if he's on the verge of tears.
Cole's sections are interspersed with recorded accounts from the shooting as witnesses detail what they saw happen in Ferguson. There's no rapping on "Be Free," but instead a vulnerable sing-talk approach, mixed with people's recollections, that leaves a chill in your spine and a lot for your mind to mull over.
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