 This isn't the video that I was supposed to release this week This week I was supposed to release the next episode of my dark side of the moon project But right now there are more important things going on as I speak black people across the United States and the world are Rising up in protest of police brutality and systemic racism I'm making this video as a show of solidarity for all those who are putting their lives on the line in the ongoing fight For basic human rights, and if you enjoy the content on my channel, you should be standing in solidarity as well Because nearly all of the music that I talk about Exists due to the strength and defiance of black communities From jazz to pop from hip-hop to rock the popular music of our era has been trailblazed by black artists Always standing in direct opposition to a racist society When I look at my most popular videos I see that not a single one of them would exist without the struggle and creativity of black communities That struggle created the blues it created jazz it created funk it created soul and it created the main genre That I have made a living on rock and roll Not only has black culture made the music world what it is much of that world has been shaped by musicians specifically and publicly protesting systemic racism and police brutality Whether it's black musicians like Nina Simone Stevie Wonder or Kendrick Lamar or white allies like Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain Popular music has a proud history of standing against injustice Right now I'm working on a video that deals with this in more depth But for the time being I wanted to take a moment to reiterate and celebrate the brilliance of black musical innovation. I owe my livelihood I owe my greatest passion and I owe much of the very fabric of my being To the creations of black trailblazers and those who followed in their path People of color have spent generations going through struggle that I can't even begin to understand and yet They have persevered and created some of the most incredible art that humanity will ever make and Even without accounting for the legacy of black music I would still want to stand in support of those fighting for justice Because nobody deserves to live in constant fear of the systems meant to protect them Nobody deserves to spend the last moments of their life being choked out by a police officer as they say I can't breathe This has to change and it has to change now If you oppose this movement you should think very carefully the next time you put on a lead Zeppelin record Break out the red hot chili peppers or bump M&M in your car And you should think very carefully about watching my videos If you do support the movement and want to help the cause there's a lot of ways you can do that One of the easiest ways right now is to donate to the National Bail Fund network Which will help activists who are being wrongfully jailed if you want some more options for donation check out black lives matters dot Car.co. It's got a ton of resources for protesters. It's got lists of charities It's got ways to get involved on the ground It's a fantastic site and since I'm a Canadian. I don't want to pretend that this is just an issue in America Systemic racism against people of color permeates my own culture as well In addition Canada is a country built on generations of injustice Against indigenous communities if you want to help show solidarity for indigenous communities You can check out the Chani Wenjack fund which is fighting to create a lasting Reconciliation in Canada if you can't afford to donate, but you still want to help the cause that's okay, too Zoe Amira has created a video feed that you can watch with all of the AdSense revenue going to the cause Furthermore that video also contains a wealth of black artists and musicians to discover And that brings me to my last point make sure you use any platform You have to amplify black and indigenous voices in the community that can mean shouting out art made by black and indigenous Artists it can mean sharing historical stories that you think are important It can mean amplifying the voices of activists Whatever it is the main goal is to make the struggle more visible in mainstream culture Time and time again as evidenced by jazz rock and hip-hop black voices are silenced in the broader Conversation until their art and message is made more palatable by white artists This is unacceptable and this is not a tradition that we should be carrying on in that spirit I'm gonna end this video on a few recommendations of black musicians that I think are doing incredible work right now Algiers fronted by Franklin James Fisher are an incredible band Who really defy a lot of the conventions of genre they make intensely thoughtful and Directed political music that jumps between industrial gospel jazz and more Sampa the great is a Zambian rapper who makes music with fantastic groove and beautiful sonic palettes And then Shabaka and the ancestors are a project created by King Shabaka of the comet is coming They do really incredible jazz music that pulls from African influence as well as the wild Afrofuturism of artists like Sun Ra and once more I've included a link to the video where you can donate without paying any money So please watch please amplify and if you're going out there to protest, please be safe black lives matter