Bao Nguyen has made a beautiful documantary about the life of Bruce Lee, Be Water. What’s pretty remarkable about Bruce Lee is that everyone knows who Bruce Lee is, but unlike some other larger-than-life American icons, his life story isn’t as widely known. (Or that people might not even realize Lee was born in San Francisco and even is an American icon.) The film airs on ESPN this Sunday night and, ahead, Nguyen takes us through why he wanted to make a film about Bruce Lee’s life and why it’s so important for people to understand Lee’s life and what he means to so many people.

Obviously there’s a lot going on right now, but I do hope people see this. And you’ve made movies dealing with racial injustice…

I think it’s more important than ever, really, for these types of films to come out. Because in the time of COVID, we’ve learned that media culture, film, TV, these are the things that we go to for comfort, right? And we’re not able to interact with people face to face. We’re not able to talk to people in society. And watching something on television is kind of our only interaction with society. That’s the society that we’re seeing. So when we’re talking about Asians and Asian-Americans, a lot of the conversation that’s happening right now is kind of anti-Asian, into things that are surrounding COVID and a lot of harassment. And actually some things that I’ve gone through personally: just walking around in the middle of the COVID pandemic, being Asian and just looking different.

So I think having this film about Bruce Lee, about Bruce Lee’s story, particularly Bruce Lee as an Asian-American and a positive portrayal as an Asian-American is so important because this is what people will see. And they will understand that the story of the Asian-American is multifaceted. I think, again, the power of media and film and TV is that we’re able to see ourselves on screen as an Asian-American, as a person of color. When I see Bruce Lee, I see myself being able to be a hero, but also it allows other people – white Americans, African-Americans, all other types of Americans and people – to also see an Asian-American can be a hero, right? That’s what I’m hoping people get out of it by watching it at this time.

I rewatched Enter the Dragon, which I had not seen since I was a little kid, and it’s so different to watch as an adult. I was mesmerized by Bruce Lee’s screen presence and his line delivery. And it really made me sad what we lost when he passed. It’s hard not to imagine all the things he would have done.

Yeah, totally. I mean, I think one of the goals that he had when making Enter the Dragon was really breaking Hong Kong and Asian cinema to a wider audience in Hollywood. And because of his early death, that just kind of got stunted in a way – he wasn’t able to be that advocate for Asian representation on screen that he could’ve been. But the argument could be made the other way as well in terms of how he became a myth, icon, a symbol that lasts forever. And it’s cemented at his young age of 32. And he’s kind of become the James Dean, the Marilyn Monroe of Asian Americans. But, yeah, it’s hard. It’s sad not to know how much further could have representation at Hollywood gone if he was still alive and could have been that advocate?

But I mean, it’s funny, you mentioned watching Enter the Dragon now, because yeah, you witness his charisma: this is onscreen presence. Hollywood, with Green Hornet, they didn’t even see that they just saw him as an Asian guy. Or with Kung Fu. They couldn’t overcome his accent. When you have film and TV, such a visual medium, any execs should see him as something that’s extraordinary that appears on screen. And that’s kind of sad, too, that even with his charisma, that the racism in Hollywood is so systemic, so deeply rooted that they couldn’t see beyond that: being Asian, instead of him being extraordinary as a performer.

While quarantined, I’ve been watching a lot of Schwarzenegger movies, too. I’m not fully comparing the two, but they both do that that something special where you can’t take your eyes off of them.

Yeah, no, of course. And I mean, that’s what made me want to do this film. We’re having these same conversations about representation and inclusion and Bruce Lee – and that same conversation obviously was happening in the 1960s with Green Hornet and Kung Fu and all that. And you just see how charismatic and amazing Bruce Lee was. And you wonder: if he couldn’t make it with his onscreen presence, it fares very hard for any other person who doesn’t wear their race on their face. I don’t know many ways to make it in Hollywood. Because that’s the first thing that people see. It’s like this actor was telling me, in America for every job you can’t be judged by your appearance, the color of your skin. Except for in Hollywood, right?

You mentioned Kung Fu. Your film gets into how Bruce Lee was replaced with David Carradine. It’s weird thinking we could have had that entire series starring Bruce Lee.

Yeah. But I also think that because he wasn’t on Kung Fu, then he was able to make all those shows Hong Kong and then make Enter the Dragon. It’s hard to kind of think of all these hypotheticals…

Sure. But I couldn’t help but do it.

I’m with you, too. I mean I would like to have seen Bruce Lee in Kung Fu.

Another thing I didn’t realize that you get into is how he was treated in Hong Kong before he was famous. He’d go back and people weren’t always nice to him there, too. And I never realized that.

I mean, there was always this idea that he wasn’t treated cordially by everyone because he had European blood through his mother, but I wanted to kind of break it down to the people who knew him and kind of knew the story specifically, even like [Bruce Lee’s wife] Linda being treated poorly because she was a white American living in Hong Kong. And it just shows how much racial inequality is a part of all aspects of society, not just in America, but also in Hong Kong. And, yeah, I think that kind of informed the title of the film that Bruce Lee always kind of ran into these barriers, be it being Chinese in Hollywood or being American in Hong Kong, but he found a way to be like water and move around these obstacles.

And even the title of the film, you put that interview where he says that at the end of your film. I’ve noticed that something about Bruce Lee is he can say things that other people can’t. From other people, that might sound corny, but with him it’s like, oh, this guy knows what he’s talking about.

Oh, totally. I mean, I think he was one of a kind. There’s things Muhammad Ali can say, that Bruce Lee can say. And, yeah, it just comes with him being kind of sewn into the cultural fabric of global pop culture. His philosophy has become part of kind of everyday vernacular. And I think that was, again, that was one of the reasons I wanted to make this film, because I wanted to unpack all of that mythology of where did these quotes come from? What was his coming of age story? How did Bruce become Bruce Lee, in a way.

Bruce Lee was back in the zeitgeist last year with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Obviously Bruce Lee’s daughter did not like the portrayal. We know Tarantino loves Bruce Lee. I am curious what you thought of that?

I’m torn. As a filmmaker, I would never want to kind of tell another filmmaker what type of film they should make or self censor themselves in any way. My parents came from a communist regime in Vietnam where there’s still a lot of censorship in terms of film and culture. So yeah, I don’t judge on that. That’s obviously a fictionalized Tarantino version of Bruce Lee and ours is very different. It’s a documentary. It’s a more humanistic kind of a whole view of who Bruce Lee was as a person. And I think it’s part of the larger conversation that we need to have as artists on how we decide to depict, especially true to life characters, and what responsibilities we have.

Everyone has their own kind of set of responsibility, their understandings of what they need to bring to the ideas of representation. So I think knowing where it’s coming from – and again, as you said, Tarantino is a huge advocate for Asian cinema and Bruce Lee and I don’t think it came from a bad place. but I think sometimes we have to think about the responsibility of how we represent, especially characters of color on screen and film. If we think about kind of the larger context of cinema as a mainstream Hollywood film, that’s kind of a milestone of how an Asian American is portrayed in 2019 through kind of this sort of version of Bruce Lee. So, I think it’s all important to think about in context, but I never criticized his choice as a filmmaker, his artistic choice, but we have to delineate between what is the more honest and authentic story of who Bruce Lee was compared to a fictionalized version.

‘Be Water’ premieres Sunday, June 7th on ESPN at 9pm EST. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Killer Mike responded to NFL star Drew Brees’ comments earlier this week about players kneeling during the National Anthem. Asked by Yahoo about his opinion on the protests — which were begun in 2016 by Colin Kaepernick to protest police brutality against Black people — Brees said, “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.” Today on ESPN’s Jalen Vs. Everybody with Jalen Rose, Mike replied by pointing out the hypocrisy of the statement and the backlash against kneeling protests.

“The American flag stands for the First Amendment and the ability to say what you feel about situations,” Mike explained. “Now, you bear the brunt of it. You may get blackballed out of the NFL, but you have the right to [protest]. So if you support and you don’t wanna see the American flag disrespected, don’t look at it on Budweiser shorts at picnics. Don’t look at it in bikini shots in Playboy. Don’t look at it on your favorite album covers because you think that rock band is rocking for you. Be all the way with it. You’re an intelligent football player but that was an incredibly stupid thing to say.”

For his part, Brees received backlash on social media and from the sports community at large, with former ESPN commentator Jemele Hill noting, “Drew Brees is why people shouldn’t assume that just because someone white is around black people that they understand black issues.” Meanwhile, LeBron James also responded, saying the quarterback “still doesn’t understand” why Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem in 2016 and what the protests mean.

https://twitter.com/jemelehill/status/126830958438226739×2

Brees has since issued an apology on Instagram, saying, “I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the Black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused.” A lengthy explanation follows, which you can read below.

Watch Killer Mike’s full interview with Jalen Rose above.

Lea Michele hasn’t been heard from much since Fox’s Glee went off the air in 2015, which is probably for the best, based on accusations made by co-star Samantha Ware. In response to Michele, who played Rachel on the hit musical series, tweeting, “George Floyd did not deserve this. This was not an isolated incident and it must end. #BlackLivesMatter,” Ware (Jane) quote-tweeted her and wrote, “LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD “SHIT IN MY WIG!” AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD…”

Other Glee stars have since sided with Ware, with Heather Morris (Brittany) tweeting, “Let me be very clear, hate is a disease in America that we are trying to cure, so I would never wish for hate to be spread to anyone else. With that said, was she unpleasant to work with? Very much so,” while Dabier Snell (who appeared in one episode in 2014) wrote in all-caps, “GIRL YOU WOULDNT LET ME SIT AT THE TABLE WITH THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS CAUSE “I DIDNT BELONG THERE” FUCK YOU LEA.” Yvette Nicole Brown, who worked with Michele on ABC’s short-lived sitcom The Mayor, also responded to Ware’s original tweet, writing, “I felt every one of those capital letters.”

And this, from her Spring Awakening co-star Gerard Canonico:

“You were nothing but a nightmare to me and fellow understudy cast members,” Canonico, 30, commented on Michele’s post on Wednesday, June 3. “You made us feel like we didn’t belong there. I tried for years to be nice to you to no avail. Maybe actually apologize instead of placing the blame on how others ‘perceive’ you. You’ll probably just delete this though.”

Michele issued a statement on Wednesday apologizing for how her “behavior towards fellow cast members was perceived by them,” and that it was maybe her “privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times,” which is to say, she barely apologized. Ware’s response: open your purse.

It was Amber Riley (Mercedes), the highest-billed person of color in the Glee cast, who had the best response, however.

(Via Variety)

You might not normally associate cognac with June. But that didn’t stop someone from scheduling National Cognac Day for today, June 4th. So regardless of whether or not cognac seems seasonally appropriate, we’re going to drink it this week (we all need a drink, certainly).

Since it’s all too easy to grab a bottle of VSOP cognac, crack it open, and pour yourself a glass, we decided to switch things up this year. We’re focused on cognacs to enjoy in a cocktail — the sazerac, vieux carre, French 75, sidecar, or any other drink you’re willing to sub cognac for whiskey in. And to get the top-shelf intel on which cognacs to mix with, we asked some of our favorite bartenders for their input.

Guillon-Painturaud VSOP

Pete Stanton, head bartender at Ai Fiori in New York City

I love Guillon-Painturaud VSOP. It’s floral, honeyed, and not muddied with Boisé. I feel when you make a stirred drink the battle is with it getting too rich and muddy. This cognac is a steal at its price and makes a delicious crushable cocktail.

Pierre Ferrand Reserve

Kyle Harlan, beverage director at Mission Taco Joint in Kansas City

I like cheap brandy to mix most of the time, some E&J makes one heck of a sazerac. But if I’m not paying for it, Pierre Ferrand Reserve makes great drinks. Alexandre Gabriel has, in my opinion, perfected his craft. He is a master blender.

Hennessy XO

Jim Richard, chef at Stinky’s Fish Camp in South Walton, Florida

I’m not sure why, but I started drinking cognac before whiskey and fast became a Hennessy Fan. Partially because of the Richard Hennessy-Jim Richard name connection. As far as cocktails go, this is where the New Orleans roots come in and the XO or the paradise are my favorite.

Martell Blue Swift

Gord Hannah, head bartender at The Drake Hotel in Toronto

Whether you use a whiskey or a cognac, a drink like the sazerac is an iconic cocktail that deserves a little indulgence on the base spirit. This is a drink that should showcase both its French and its American roots. When I use cognac as the base, I usually reach for Martell Blue Swift. Technically this is not a true cognac because they age it in Bourbon casks from Kentucky rather than French oak but try it in a sazerac. Trust me, Blue Swift is going to make you a great cocktail with a smooth and long finish.

Maison Rouge VSOP

Ian Clark, bar supervisor at Topside in Baltimore

Typically, I use Maison Rouge VSOP cognac for mixing in cocktails. It’s a great, inexpensive, balanced cognac that is an ideal vehicle for complimenting the essence of the rye and elevating the subtleties from your vermouth, bitters, and Benedictine in a drink like a sazerac. It’s also a great cognac for sidecars.

Camus VSOP

Catalina Borer, bartender at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia

If I were requested to create a cocktail with cognac I would use Camus VSOP, mainly because I feel that it is the “fruitiest” of the cognacs commonly available. It has strong citrus notes and a sweet caramel agave type of structure.

Martell VS

Kira Webster, beverage director at Indo in St. Louis

Martell VS. It’s a smooth cognac and the baking spice notes from the barrels add a little more depth to the flavor profile. The Cinnamon and light cocoa notes also complement cocktails beautifully.

Remy Martin 1738

Piero Procida, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles

I am a big fan of Remy 1738 Accord Royal. Remy itself has not fallen into the tasteless trap of mass production and they still continue to make high-quality cognacs. The 1738 is a middle-tier cognac that I think tastes better than some of the many high-end cognacs out there. Prevalent in sweet butterscotch notes, it is perfectly balanced without that peppery bite found in so many other cognacs. This is what makes it such a great choice — its mellowness does not overpower all the other ingredients thus creating a nicely-balanced drink that easy on the palate, allowing all flavors of each ingredient to come through.

Park Carte Blanche

H. Joseph Erhmann, proprietor of ELIXIR in San Francisco

Park Carte Blanche is both financially accessible and perfectly balanced for cocktails. It’s also a brand a lot of people still don’t know. I’m also loving the Reviseur VSOP right now.

Pierre Ferrand 1840

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

Pierre Ferrand 1840. It is Maison Ferrrand’s mixing cognac and does an excellent job delivering a balanced cognac flavor but not getting lost to the other components. This is especially helpful if you prefer a prescription sazerac to compliment your favorite rye.

Like many celebrities, Beyonce has weighed in on the current protests and the death of George Floyd. She shared a video message a few days ago, and last night, she offered another post. Sharing a photo of protestors flooding the streets in Minneapolis, Beyonce wrote, “The world came together for George Floyd. We know there is a long road ahead. Let’s remain aligned and focused in our call for real justice.”

This post comes a few days after a video from Beyonce in which she speaks about the situation and makes similar points about justice, saying, “We need justice for George Floyd. We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain. I’m not only speaking to people of color. If you’re white, black, brown, or anything in between, I’m sure you feel hopeless about the racism going on in America right now. No more senseless killings of human beings. No more seeing people of color as less than human. We can no longer look away. […] Yes, someone’s been charged, but justice is far from being achieved.”

Meanwhile, her husband Jay-Z has also made his voice heard in recent days: He has spoken with the governor of Minneapolis, and he honored Floyd with ads in newspapers across the country.

The Rock will not stay silent during the protests following George Floyd‘s senseless death at the hand of law enforcement, and oh boy, is he feeling impassioned. In a process that’s more measured but as effective as the F-bomb dropping Seth Rogen, The Rock is going straight to the top with his appeal to recognize how Black Live Matter. On his social media pages, he posted an emphatic video, in which he never actually names President Trump, but he doesn’t have to say his name. It’s more than self-evident.

“Where are you? Where is our leader?” The Rock implores. “Where is our leader at this time when our country is down on its knees, begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain with its arms out, just wanting to be heard? Where is our compassionate leader who’s going to step up to our country, who’s down on its knees, and extend a hand and say, ‘You stand up, stand up with me because I got you. I hear you, I’m listening to you. And you have my word that I’m going to do everything in my power, until my dying day, my last breath, to do everything I can to create the change that is needed, to normalize equality because Black Lives Matter.”

He continues while breaking down the unquestionable need for leadership’s solidarity with the Black Lives Matter cause: “Where are you?… Of course, all lives matter, but in this moment right now, this defining, pivotal, explosive moment where our country is down on its knees… we must say the words: Black Lives Matter.”

Watch the video, in which The Rock lauds the change that’s already begun, while he also acknowledges the long road to come.

Artists have been active on social media to show their support for the current protests. However, Summer Walker now claims that she has received some push-back about some of her posts from her record label.

Walker wrote in an Instagram Story:

“you can talk about your p*ssy and post your ass, talk about buying worthless jewelry instead of businesses and property, flex money, and disrespect your women. AND NONE OF THAT IS INSENSITIVE. but trying to warn people that DEEP STATE IS FINESSING YOU ALL AND TRYING TO TAKE AWAY YOUR RIGHTS, IS TOO SENSITIVE. Black, White, Hispanic, Chinese, Indian THE DEEP STATE IS FINESSING US ALL. but my label just told me that this information is too sensitive, but I NEVER got a call about clapping my ass in panties is to sensitive. Surprise ? No. Disappointed ? Yes. And ima leave it at that cause I don’t wanna disrespect nobody.”

She then shared a series of posts about which she was supposedly contacted. One reads, “You protested! now regroup, strategize, come together, make a goal, figure out how to execute it. Example try to get all 4 of the men into custody, or try to get the killers bond comepletly removed. But I guess I just need to stfu cause I’m getting in the way of someone’s chance to get a rolex. take some f*cking responsibility. There’s protesting for a cause and then there’s just doing wild sh*t for personal gain. Stay focused.”

Check out Walker’s posts below.

According to IndieWire‘s annual examination of the movie industry, “White men still account for over 80 percent of film directors, even though they make up only a third of the U.S. population.” That explains how Green Book won Best Picture, and why Hollywood has had a “bad movie problem” for years — think of all the diverse stories that are being left untold. The odds are stacked against any non-white male getting a film financed and distributed, but it’s especially tough for black LGBTQ+ filmmakers. With the Black Lives Matter global network expanding every day and June being Pride Month, now’s an excellent time to watch these five movies from black LGBTQ+ directors.

Mississippi Damned (2009)

Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 7.4/10

“I am my own worst critic. But this is the first time I was able to sit down and not to nitpick at everything,” director Tina Mabry told GLAAD about Mississippi Damned in 2010. She was right to not be hard on herself: Mississippi Damned is a difficult, but rewarding watch about a black family living in small-town Mississippi, with a focus on a closeted lesbian, a high school basketball star, and a burgeoning pianist in 1986, and their grown-up selves in 1998 as they attempt to either confront or give in to cycles of neglect and abuse.

The exquisitely-shot drama (which, fair notice, depicts rape and domestic abuse) was honored with multiple accolades, including an audience award at the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, and the American Black Film Festival was prophetic when they gave Best Actor to one of the ensemble film’s stars: Tessa Thompson, who would go on to play the first LGBTQ superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She had a remarkable presence even then.

Pariah (2011)

Run Time: 86 min | IMDb: 7.2/10

“I am not broken, I am free.”

Six years before she was nominated for an Oscar, Dee Rees made her best movie. Pariah is a self-autobiographical film that follows Alike (played by Adepero Oduye), a 17-year-old African-American girl growing up in Brooklyn “who knows that she loves women; that’s not the question,” as the Mudbound director said. “The question is how to be.” She’s torn between identities: she dresses butch at the club, where she’s surrounded by other empowered black women, but changes into “girl-y” clothes around her parents. The performances are exquisite; the script, sometimes funny, always authentic; the cinematography from Oscar nominee Bradford Young, stunning.

If you only have time for one movie on this list, make it Pariah.

D.E.B.S. (2004)

Run Time: 91 min | IMDb: 5.3/10

There’s often an expectation that queer and female filmmakers have to make Works That Matter, but white males shouldn’t have a monopoly on nonsense; look at D.E.B.S. Based on director Angela Robinson’s short film of the same name, the action-comedy is about four high schoolers who become super-spies after being recruited by the government through a test concealed in the SAT; one character’s name is “Lucy Diamond,” there’s talk of a plot to “sink” Australia, and a prominent scene includes a sing-along to Erasure’s timeless ’80s jam “A Little Respect.” It’s very silly and very fun, a winking satire of spy films (“the perfect lesbian spy movie that puts lesbianing first and spying second,” as an excellent Letterboxd review puts it) the way Josie and the Pussycats skewers the music industry.

D.E.B.S. has built a cult following over the years, but it was a dud at the time, only making $97,446 at the box office (on a $3.5 million budget). The entertainment industry has an abhorrent history of not giving female filmmakers, especially queer female filmmakers, multiple chances if they have a supposed “bomb” in their filmography, unlike male directors who are allowed to plop out turd after turd. Robinson would make Disney’s Herbie: Fully Loaded the next year, becoming only the third black woman ever to direct a feature-length film for a major studio, but it would take another 12 years before her next feature, 2017’s quietly powerful Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. She became an in-demand television director in that time, but hopefully it’s not another 12 years before her next movie. The people (me) demand a D.E.B.S. sequel.

The Watermelon Woman (1996)

Run Time: 90 min | IMDb: 6.7/10

The Watermelon Woman is not only historically significant, as it’s the first feature film directed by an out black lesbian; it’s also really good. (History and quality do not always go hand-in-hand — there’s a reason you probably can’t name the “first photorealistic computer-animated feature film.”) Directed by Cheryl Dunye, who also stars and wrote the incisive screenplay, The Watermelon Woman is a “black lesbian masterpiece” about a video store employee who wants to make a documentary about Faye Richards, the titular “watermelon woman,” a 1930s actress who was often cast in the “mammy” role.

The setting and wardrobe couldn’t be more ’90s, but The Watermelon Woman is a timeless “piece of art that allows us to think about who has access to representation, who has access to archives, and why women, people of color, and queer people have not had access to these powerful instruments,” producer Alexandra Juhasz told IndieWire.

Punks (2000)

Run Time: 101 min | IMDb: 7.1/10

Like so many film festival hits before it, Punks is almost impossible to find on the internet. But if you’re lucky enough to live near an indie theater that hosts a screening, like Brooklyn’s Nitehawk Cinema last year, do yourself a favor and go. I somehow saw the romantic-comedy, directed by Patrik-Ian Polk and produced by Babyface, in college, and while the details are fuzzy, I remember having a tremendous time. It’s the “gay male counterpart to Waiting to Exhale“ or “Sex and the City with black, gay men,” depending on which comparison you want to go with, although both should sound intriguing.

“It was a gay, black film, and we’re talking about the year 2000. I mean, you know how kind of it’s still kind of taboo in certain things in pop culture. But back then, it was a different time, so no major distributors made offers on the film,” Polk told NPR about Punks in 2019. It finally found a small distributor, but they couldn’t afford the rights to the Sister Sledge songs in the movie, “and then people forget, and then you just move on and do other things,” Polk added. People did move on, but they didn’t forget Punks.

In times of civil unrest, certain thematically relevant songs that are appropriate for the moment tend to get more plays. One of those that immediately comes to mind is NWA’s classic “F*ck The Police,” and naturally, it has seen a significant jump in listens following the death of George Floyd.

Citing figures from Alpha Data, Rolling Stone notes that from May 27 to June 1, “F*ck Tha Police” experienced a 272-percent increase in on-demand audio streams compared to the five-day period before Floyd’s death. The song did particularly well this past Sunday and Monday, racking up 765,000 streams during those days, which is about five times the amount of streams on those days before the protests began.

Meanwhile, Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” has also picked up steam over the past month or so, thanks to TikTok posts about the death of Ahmaud Arbery. Also from May 27 to June 1, “This Is America” had a 149-percent jump in streams.

Other songs that experienced increased streaming activity included Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” (up by 89 percent), Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” (71 percent), D’Angelo and the Vanguard’s “The Charade” (122 percent), Killer Mike’s “Don’t Die” (542 percent), Beyoncé’s “Freedom” (70 percent), James Brown’s “Say It Loud — I’m Black And I’m Proud” (455 percent), and Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” (34 percent).

In a 2016 interview, Ice Cube was asked if he believed things were getting better in terms of police brutality and racial equality, and he responded, “No. The problem is that they’re just the same. People don’t change their stripes. That’s just what it is. It ain’t changed.” He also said, “As a Black person, it’s always seemed like it’s a war on us. It’s just terrible. They wonder what I’ve got to complain about at this point in my life. I’ll tell you: People are only nice to me because they know who I am and they like my work. It shouldn’t have to be like that to get people to respect you.”

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