Jay Z Responds To Police Violence With New Song 'Spiritual'
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jay Z has released an emotional new song in response to this week's fatal police shootings of two black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.
On "spiritual," Jay Z raps, "Got my hands in the air, in despair, don't shoot, I just want to do good."
PHOTOS: Fatal Police Shooting In Minnesota | Louisiana Protests
In a statement accompanying the song's release, the rapper says he began working on it "a while ago." He says someone encouraged him to release it following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, but he says he knew Brown's death "wouldn't be the last." He says he's "saddened and disappointed in THIS America — we should be further along," He adds, "WE ARE NOT."
The song is available on Tidal , the subscription-based streaming music service that Jay Z owns.
On July 7, Philando Castile was shot by a police officer while at a traffic stop in Minnesota. Castile's girlfriend captured the incident on video, which led to outrage.
It was the second fatal police shooting this week, coming only days after a black 37-year-old man was killed by officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alton Sterling's death was caught on video.
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