“Cops Shot the Kid” is a politically-conscious song by Nas (GOAT) featuring a pseudo-reclusive rapper/producer. With the NFL season around the corner and police brutality as much an issue as ever it’s time, as Nas says, to “…remind ’em why Kap kneels.”

Police Brutality

The most infuriating thing about the issues with police brutality is that the conversation has been expertly diverted from the real issue. Protests by NFL players have become the center of a debate that is far more important than kneeling during a song. While people argue about how someone should protest and even what or who they should protest, this is still happening:

And you wonder why unarmed black men run from cops🤷🏾‍♂️— this is what happens when you don’t …. I’m guessing this officer was scared for his life … pic.twitter.com/2fzh6JXRFr — d. Watkins (@dwatkinsworld) August 11, 2018

And it’s nothing new. “Cops Shot The Kid” samples Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story” and uses a line of the song as its title. In 1989, 30 years ago, on “Children’s Story” Slick Rick sang about clashes between police and Black men. It’s still relevant today.

If that’s not depressing enough, Richard Pryor appears on the track talking about his experiences with police as a child more than 60 years ago.

We read about it, we hear about it, for decades we see it happening. And yet, after so many years the same issues persist. Instead of working to fix the myriad problems in the criminal justice system we argue about how to express dissatisfaction with said system. It’s an exercise in futility.

“Cops Shot the Kid”

Hip-hop with a message is vital. The genre is at its best when artists like Nas and that other guy are talking about relevant issues. The pity is that this issue still has relevance.

As for that other guy, he’s made headlines again today. I won’t be giving him any publicity in my piece. His verse on this song was solid. I wished he kept that energy and worked out his issues (with political movements that affect his people) in private.

The less said about him the better. Too often he serves as a distraction, taking away from issues he used to write songs about. “Cops Shot the Kid” has an important message; let’s not lose sight of what it is.