Yesterday (June 3), British rapper Tinie Tempah spoke with Sky News about the current situation regarding the death of George Floyd. He addressed the tragedy with a comparison with animal abuse, saying people would not accept this if such cruelty happened to a dog.
“If we saw a human being with their knees on a dog the world would be in outrage. I guess that’s kind of the best way to sum it up,” said the 31-year-old.
He continued, “You know, we wouldn’t accept this for an animal so to keep seeing it happen to human beings—more importantly, to black people, people of colour—you definitely have a feeling of being marginalised.”
Tempah is the latest voice from the UK music scene who outrageously comments on the tragic incident of police brutality against George Floyd. The news has sparked controversies and awareness about racism around the globe, leading to an online movement #BlackLivesMatter.
In addition to the comments on the late Floyd, the rapper also criticised the situation of racism in the UK. He bashed those who claimed that the UK is not affected by racism as much as the US:
“Racism is rife in the UK as well as the US,” Tempah insisted, “and it is the height of ignorance to say otherwise.” The rapper also shamed people who believed in such delusion as he firmly reckoned that everyone knows “racism exists in the UK“.
“Even for someone to say that officers aren’t armed [in the UK], it’s almost like… I don’t know how the best way to describe this is… it’s almost excuses, almost trying to find a justification for why we are better or not. The fact is that racism is wrong. And if racism exists anywhere, on any level, it’s wrong. It’s inhumane. It’s evil.”
“So for somebody to almost have the audacity to be like, oh, well, you know, our police officers aren’t armed and this wouldn’t happen in the UK, it’s the height of ignorance and it’s almost trying to smokescreen the fact that racism happens here,” he added.
In light of the adversity originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, people around the world have taken part in raising awareness of racism with protests and online campaigns. Music industry also joins force by launching the #BlackOutTuesday movement, in which artists are encouraged to take a pause in solidarity with the black community by stoping posting on social media.
After participating in the recent online protest, the “Written in the Stars” hitmaker posted a freestyle song composed especially as a response to the abhorrent killing of George Floyd. Check out the video below.
