Megan Thee Stallion Honors Black Victims of Racism and Police Brutality at Virtual Concert
Aaron Poole/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Megan Thee Stallion
During her virtual concert on Saturday, Megan Thee Stallion had a powerful, yet poignant question: "Why is it so hard being Black in America?"
Setting aside several minutes from her twerk-filled performance, the "Savage" rapper took a moment of silence flashing several of the names of Black victims of police brutality and racism in the U.S.
Tamir Rice, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and Ahmaud Arbery were just some of the people whose names appeared onscreen along with the date and description of how they were killed — most at the hands of police. The clip ended with the name of Jacob Blake, who was shot by police on Aug. 23.
"Jacob Blake. Shot 7 times in the back paralyzing him for life by the police," the screen read.
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After flashing the question "Why is it so hard being Black in America?" with the sound of seven gunshots (the same police shot at Blake), the 25-year-old and her backup dancers hit the stage with their fists raised high. Several fans shared their reactions to the tribute.
"I was twerkin and next think I know I'm crying," one user tweeted.
"Now, this is how you use your platform!!!" wrote another.
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I was twerkin and next thing I know I’m crying. #MeganTheeStallionLive pic.twitter.com/CyECMBDnvR
— K E I S H (@MikeishaDache) August 29, 2020
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Blake's shooting, which led to him being paralyzed from the waist down, has spurred a renewed uproar against police brutality. Most recently, athletes from several sports across the country, starting with the NBA and WNBA, boycotted their games in protest. His paralyzation at the hands of police also led to celebrity reactions and several protests across the country.
The Houston-raised rapper has been vocal in her support for the Black Lives Matter movement. In June, she joined Common and Tiffany Haddish at Hollywood's All Black Lives Matter march in support for Black trans people.
"I feel like everything that's going on right now, if it hasn't moved you to speak out or try to make some type of difference, then something might be slightly wrong with you,” she told Variety earlier this month. "Even though I haven't already come out with a song with that messaging, I definitely plan on it."
To NME, she said, "Sometimes being a public figure, you don't wanna say the wrong thing because you don't want to be insensitive to people or get too opinionated. But I will always say what I feel. I don't speak on things that I don't know about, and I won't speak on things I don't believe in."
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Cardi B Gifts Megan Thee Stallion a Custom Hermès Birkin to Celebrate 'WAP' Hitting No. 1
The one-of-a-kind, hand-painted handbag features a portrait of Megan Thee Stallion and a white tiger across the front
Saturday was the rapper's return to the stage since being shot in the foot in July and releasing her collab "WAP" alongside Cardi B earlier this month. Just weeks ago, the rapper revealed she was shot by Tory Lanez.
The day after her virtual concert, the "Captain Hook" rapper accepted the MTV Video Music Award for best hip-hop video for "Savage."
"This is my second Moonman — definitely not my last," she said in the clip.
