Estimated reading time: 8 minute(s)
by Brother Jesse
I’ve always enjoyed the music, content and delivery of hip-hop artists Mikal Stands. In fact, a few years ago we crisscrossed the country together for The Teachings 2.0 Social Media Warfare Tour. I watched as he electrified the audiences and they rushed to purchase his Inspiration Mixtape 2.
One of the most popular tracks from that mixtape is Belly (Parts 1 and 2) wherein he addresses the murder of Malcolm X and who was really behind. He is set to release the video for the song on December 25th. And from the looks of the promo, he’s also trying to give Denzel Washington a run for his money, by growing a goatee for the filming. But don’t worry fans, he shaved it off. (smile)
“The unique part of this release, is very controversial. Malcolm X is loved by many, and the organization which produced him, THE NATION OF ISLAM, has taken backlash from government, media outlets and thousands who simply either want to malign its mission in the public eye, or deeply misunderstand what the movement stood for and stands for,” he says. “Maybe because the movement hasn’t died, and because Minister Louis Farrakhan, the national representative of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, resurrected the teachings and almost single-handedly rebuilt its structure, making it alive and well.”
“Those in power want to derail its effort to aide and benefit those who the movement represents. Either way, the death of Malcom remains largely an argument as to who was involved, why, what really happened and is there a coverup by the organization, the government and so on. Many have come to conclusions about what happened, some believe they have found the truth, and others still have questions of doubt as to what went down that fateful day at the Ball Room in New York.”
Mikal Stands addresses this major controversy in his recent release, BELLY!
He said, “It took me weeks to research the events, listen to documentaries, interviews, and lectures to study what had happened to Malcolm X, what people thought, and the viewpoints of both the NOI, (which included members, Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan themselves) to words taken directly from Malcolm X himself.I put my all into this story line, to the best of my then lyrical ability. People often tell me, “Bro, that song made me re-think and re-analyze what happened to Malcolm in a short amount of time.” They often tell me its a classic, the streets rock with the HIP HOP FEEL OF THE MUSIC, and its rides nice in the vehicle when blastin’ it on a dope sound system. But all in all, my over all intent was to stop arguing with people on this touchy subject, and pay visit to the booth responding to those minds using my gift as a Rap Lyricist.”
Video Release: Dec 25th via www.mikalstands.com/bars
Instagram – @MikalStands
Twitter – @MikalStands
Facebook music page – @mikalstandsmusic
