“Used to Call us Monkeys and Slaves”: Damian Lillard Releases a Hard Hitting Music Track Against Racism

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard released a fresh music track rapping about racism in America. The song released on SoundCloud on Tuesday with the name “Blacklist.”

A black man named George Floyd died of alleged homicide a few weeks ago. A video showed a policeman kneeling on Floyd for several minutes before he died. Since then, there have been nationwide protests with people condemning racial discrimination.

Lillard’s song, raising a voice against the issue, started with the lyrics: “As a brother with a good heart, F*** you if you’re racist, Or white staying quiet, You’re disabling the changes.”

It mentioned Floyd’s death and the struggles of African Americans in the country.

“As a rich black man living in this country, it’s hard being comfy,” Lillard sung. “When the hate yo people get is coming from the ones amongst me. Used to call us monkeys, and slaves until we overcame, still our work is just beginning, protests look like parades.”

Listen to the full song here.

Damian Lillard was a part of a protest

This is not the first time that the Trail Blazers star has raised his voice since Floyd’s death. Last week, he joined a protest in Portland along with thousands of people. Lillard joined a list of many NBA stars who have been contributing to the fight against injustice.

Most notably, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has made several comments on social media condemning racial discrimination. Fellow superstars Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been a part of protests in their respective cities.

On the professional front, Lillard will have a shot at getting into the playoffs when the league resumes. The NBA has approved a 22-team format for the league’s restart, which involves Lillard’s Trail Blazers. They were ninth in the Western Conference prior to the league’s suspension with a win-loss record of 29-37. The league’s proposed format involved 13 teams from the Western Conference while nine from the East. This gave three teams below the Trail Blazers- New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, and Phoenix Suns- to be a part of the league’s restart in Oakland. Reports suggest July 31 as a tentative date for the league’s resumption.