Listen to Meek Mill's emotive new protest song, 'Otherside of America'

Meek Mill has released an emotive new protest song, ‘Otherside of America’ – you can listen to it below.

On the track, which comes a week after the death of George Floyd, Mill explores inequality and racism in America and opens with comments US President Donald Trump made about the Black community in 2016.

Floyd, 46, died in Minneapolis last week (May 25) following an altercation with police officers. Floyd, who was African American, was killed when a white police officer appeared to kneel on his neck as he lay on the ground during an arrest.

Officer Derek Chauvin has since been sacked and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three of his colleagues, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Keung are now all facing charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Since Floyd’s death, protests have erupted in the US and around the world.

The song closes with a clip of a conversation Mill had with CNN‘s Michael Smercornish in 2018. “I grew up in America in a ruthless neighborhood where we are not protected by police,” Mill can be heard saying.  You can listen to the track below.

Mill has spoken out previously about criminal justice reform and, in 2019, he co-founded the REFORM alliance with Jay-Z to help bring about change in the US criminal justice system.

Last month (April 4), the REFORM alliance announced it was sending 100,000 face masks to various prisons to help combat the coronavirus crisis.

“We are on the verge of a humanitarian crisis,” Jessica Jackson, chief political officer at REFORM Alliance, told ABC News. “There are horror stories coming from people in jails and prisons across the country.

“REFORM Alliance is seeking help to get medical supplies into correctional facilities, and we’re also pushing Governors across the country to enact our SAFER Plan recommendations to get people out quickly and safely.”

Yesterday (June 4), Jay-Z shared a new playlist of protest songs – you can listen to the playlist on Tidal now.

Featuring records by himself, Jay Electronica, 2Pac, Nina Simone, James Brown and Marvin Gaye, the list includes seventeen songs and follows the first edition of the playlist, which was released back in 2016.

The list comes a week after Jay-Z spoke out about the killing of Floyd via a powerful statement.