Alicia Keys has released a heartbreaking new song about a mother mourning a son who has been murdered because of their race.
“Perfect Way To Die” comes after the death of African American George Floyd — who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes during his arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last month — and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests.
However, the emotional single — which will feature on the star’s upcoming album, “ALICIA” — was actually written about the deaths of Michael Brown and Sandra Bland.
The former was shot by a police offer after allegedly robbing a convenience store in August 2014, and his death led to protests in Ferguson, Missouri.
While Bland was found hanged in a Texas jail cell in July 2015, three days after being arrested during a pre-textual traffic stop.
Keys said: “Of course there is no perfect way to die.
“This phrase doesn’t even make sense but that’s what makes the title so powerful and heartbreaking because so many have died unjustly.
“It’s written from the point of view of the mother whose child has been murdered because of the system of racism that looks at Black life as unworthy.
“We all know none of these innocent lives should have been taken due to the culture of police violence.”
Keys sings: “Simple walk to the corner store/Mama never thought she would be getting a call from the coroner/Said her son’s been gunned down, been gunned down/Can you come now/Tears in her eyes/Can you calm down/Please ma’am can you calm down?”
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