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.
56m
21m
20m
46m
22m
2m
10m
22m
1h 38m
20m
2m
24m
9m
45m
1h 2m
26m
2m
5m
42m
1h 29m
46m
20m
1h 43m
45m
20m
23m
1h 16m
21m
45m
1m
59m
2m
1h 21m
20m
20m
45m
2m
41m
46m
1h 21m
22m
1m
24m
3m
20m
20m
41m
41m
2m
1m
3m
6m
1h 39m
1m
1m
44s
1m
2m
1m
6m
8m
20m
2m
1m
41m
1m
20m
21m
6m
14m
6m
2m
1m
5m
1m
44m
1m
1m
20m
7m
2m
6m
49s
2m
6m
1m
1m
1m
6m
2m
1m
37s
42m
21m
1h 34m
44m
1m
3m