YG Talks Police Brutality on New Song "One Time Comin'"

YG, the rapper from Compton who dropped his second album Still Brazy in June of 2016 just put out a new song. His first release since this tape, ” One Time Comin’ ” explores police brutality, which has been a hot topic in the news for the last few years given the high frequency of deaths of Black individuals by police officers. Many Black artists have chosen to discuss this issue, including Noname, Childish Gambino, and Kendrick Lamar.

In the first verse, YG spits “One time comin’, gotta run from ’em /’Cause they might pull a gun on ’em,” describing the need to run from cops to avoid them pulling a gun on you. This exposes the reality of police brutality in cities like Compton, Oakland, and Ferguson. YG further alludes to the fear of death in these communities, which is inextricably linked to police brutality, and the worry he has every time he leaves his house. This is the reason he tells his daughter he loves her before he dips from the “crib”.

YG even pays tribute to all the Black lives that have been lost, writing ‘In Loving Memory of The Victims of Police Brutality’ on the song’s cover art. Given the current political debate, and the sheer number of Black lives we lose every day, YG bluntly asks a question that speaks to what many Black individuals in the U.S. are feeling, “Think our life don’t matter?”. That’s the question that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, and is the basis of the rights and equality that activists are currently fighting for. Shoutout to YG for dropping a song consciously engaged in issues – we f**k with it.