The voice of a movement: How protest music is a sign of the times
On June 6, thousands of protesters stood on 16th Street in Washington, D.C. with yellow scuff marks on the bottom of their shoes from the newly commissioned mural spelling “Black Lives Matter” under their feet. Kendrick Lamar’s song “Alright” blared from the speakers as the crowd chanted along with the chorus, “We gon’ be alright.” This unifying phrase has echoed through the streets of countless cities during Black Lives Matter protests since the release of the song in 2015. Although demonstrators have added “Alright” to the canon of protest music, Lamar did not intend for his song to galvanize the nation into action.