Janelle Monae has always made a point to put a message into the music that she creates. After discovering that a family member became a victim of violence, Monae took the opportunity to speak out against gun violence.
According to reports by KMBC, the shooting occurred on Aug. 30 in on Cleveland Ave. in Kansas City, Missouri. Reportedly, someone fired shots into a home and Natasha Hays, 37, was struck and killed while sleeping. Hays and her three children were in the home at the time of the shooting. Hays’ children were not harmed during the incident.
Following the shooting, Monae took to social media to give condolences to her cousin and share her thoughts on gun violence. “Gun violence has struck home,” Monae tweeted. “My beautiful first cousin was murdered. She was a mother of three. Loved by her community. Gun violence is still keeping our city in a dark place. The fear of, ‘Who is next?’ never leaves. Praying for more. Help us.” Monae continued by tweeting, “Evil has no race.”
Monae, a native of Kansas City, moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in music in the early 2000s. She initially signed with Big Boi of OutKast and is currently the CEO of Wondaland which is distributed by Epic Records.
Police in Kansas have yet to make any arrest or announce suspects who were involved in Hays’ murder.
