African American musicians have used music as a way make their voice heard and

spread the message of the ongoing civil rights movement. One of the most
notable groups to do this was Niggaz Wit Attitudes (N.W.A.), a hip-hop group that
consisted of five members: Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella.
Drawing on their personal experiences of police brutality, racial profiling, and
growing up on the violent streets of Compton, CA, they pioneered the hip-hop
subgenre, gangsta rap. Their debut studio album, Straight Outta Compton, featured
one of their most well-known songs titled “Fuck Tha Police”. The song is based
around a mock trial with Dr. Dre as the judge and Ice Cube, MC Ren, and Eazy-E as
prosecutors who are presenting evidence against the police department. Although
the content of the song was alarming, it effectively created conversation about
racism and police brutality. In the same way that different styles of black music
have done throughout history, “Fuck Tha Police” has influenced and given a voice
to African American youth and brought awareness to the fight against
discrimination and police brutality and it continues to do so today in the Black
Lives Matter movement.

       In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs that created
conditions conducive to police brutality that targeted black communities. The war
on drugs increase police funding in order to crack down on drug control. New
policies like mandatory minimum prison sentences were established for drug
related offenses. In an interview with journalist Dan Baum, Nixon’s former
domestic policy advisor, John Ehrlichman admitted that this campaign targeted the
two enemies of the White House at the time: “the antiwar left and black people”
(Baum). Ehrlichman was also quoted saying.