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Snoop Dogg Just Held a Press Conference With the LAPD (and Other Musician Responses to a Truly Awful Week)

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Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti addresses the media with police chief Charlie Beck (L) and rappers The Game (2/L) and Snoop Dogg (R) at LAPD headquarters on July 8, 2016, after Snoop Dogg and fellow rapper The Game led a peaceful demonstration outside a Los Angeles Police Department recruit graduation ceremony in what they called an effort to promote unity in the aftermath of the deadly shootings of police officers in Dallas.  (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

The past three days have been brutal ones in the United States of America, and it's no secret that people are hurting. We want action, visible change, in times like these -- and if we can't take to the streets ourselves, we want to see people we respect and look up to taking a stance, using their platforms to voice protest in a way that feels like they're speaking on our behalf.

For better or worse, for many people, the public figures hitting those marks this week are entertainers. Here are a few of their responses.

Snoop Dogg and The Game did actually take to the streets this morning, leading what the LA Times called a "unification march for men of color" to LAPD's graduation ceremony for its newest officers. On Instagram, The Game called it an attempt to "make the Californian government and it’s law branches aware that from today forward, we will be UNIFIED as minorities & we will no longer allow them to hunt us or be hunted by us !!!"

 

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It culminated in a press conference with city government and LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck, which you should watch below.

The rappers join a growing legion of music's heavy-hitters who responded to the week's violence on social media and through song.

Queen Beyoncé posted a powerful missive to her website July 7, reading, in part, "We don't need sympathy. We need everyone to respect our lives." The message encouraged readers to click through to contact their representatives in Congress to protest the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

 

She also paused her show in Glasgow that night to ask for a moment of silence, during which the names of victims of police brutality were displayed on her giant LED screen.

Jay Z, meanwhile, the other half of music's biggest power couple, released a new song called "Spiritual" on Tidal today, July 8. It features lyrics referencing police violence and the pain of trying to raise a young black daughter in an unjust world, with an  accompanying note that reads, in part, "I’m saddened and disappointed in THIS America - we should be further along. WE ARE NOT." Read and listen here. 

Miguel also chose to express himself musically, releasing a track called "How Many,"  with lyrics like "How many black lives / how many heartbeats turned into flatlines / how many black lives does it take to wake a change...we can't let them die in vain." Listen below.

https://soundcloud.com/miguel/how-many-ruff-1

Drake wrote a personal open letter on Instagram:

 

And here at home, Oakland's own Mistah FAB dropped a song directly referencing Alton Sterling, called "6 Shots," as we covered yesterday.

https://soundcloud.com/mistahfab/6-shots

We'll update this post as more songs and responses roll in.

 

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