Listen Up

Poignant protest songs, poetic reflections, '70s psychedelia, and more new music

Noname: Song 33 With references to George Floyd and Toyin Salau, “Song 33” by rapper, poet, producer and activist Noname is presumably a response to J Cole’s recent, widely lambasted release, on which he criticizes and tone-polices her. Over the mellow Madlib-produced beat, Noname (aka Fatimah Warner) meditates, “Wow, look at him go / He really ’bout to write about me while the world is in …

Anderson .Paak: Lockdown

Beginning with sirens and chanting, Anderson .Paak’s “Lockdown” is unmistakably a protest song—despite his inimitable, gentle lilt. “Cause they throw away Black lives like paper towels / Plus unemployment rate what? 40 million now / Killed a man in broad day, might never see a trial / We just wanna break chains like slaves in the south / Started in the north end but we …

Black Grapefruit: Waist

Formerly known as SOS, Black Grapefruit (aka Randa Smith and Brian Dekker) creates soulful, R&B-tinged experimental pop music. Their song “Waist” appeared on an EP last year, but they decided to resurface it with a video, saying, “Current events have reminded us how precious life is, and how fortunate we are to still have it. Regardless of how dark things get, our human and planetary …