Police Get Away Wit Murder
by YG

Album: Still Brazy (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Hit-Boy helmed cut finds YG calling out the law enforcement officers who are involved in what many consider the murder of innocent people. Asked by Billboard magazine why he decided to tackle police brutality on this track, YG replied: "Oh, man, it was just how I feel. It was just me knowing what's going on in the culture and me being a human and really feeling some type of way. Being in the rap game and the rap community, that's where it started at. Motherf--kers rapping about what was going in the communities and culture. I feel like, 'Damn, ain't nobody doing nothing, saying nothing big about none of this s--t.' The friggin' rap game is watered down so I decided to speak up on the album."
  • It was the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner in 2014 that first inspired YG to record the track. "Then when I did the record, [police brutality] just kept going, seeing all type of s--t like the s--t that happened in Baltimore then in Chicago," he said. "It's just so many people who got murdered by the police. I went online and I Googled the people murdered by the police. Man, that s--t happen every day... Every day. Motherf--kers don't even know it."
  • YG said that he'd had the track filed away since March 2016. "I could gave been put it out to capitalize [on the moment] but it was really like me feeling some type of way about what's going on," he explained. "I did the record, was like I'mma put it on my album and then s--t kept happening. I'm like damn this s--t really crazy."
  • The song ends with YG running off the names of three unarmed black teens gunned down by the police. "The list goes on," he concludes, "And they wonder why I live life looking over my shoulder."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.