There is no question Martin Luther King Jr. was a master of ceremonies. He inspired countless people, rappers included. Here are 5 times MLK Jr. got a shout-out from the rap world.
Kendrick Lamar, “Backseat Freestyle
“Martin had a dream / Martin had a dream / Kendrick have a dream.”
Public Enemy, “By The Time I Get To Arizona”
This one was a call to action to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday from the ever-political rap group Public Enemy. It was from the album Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black.
“Talking MLK, gonna find a way.”
Ludacris, “Do Your Time”
“Give my eyes to Stevie Wonder just to see what he’s seen / But then I’d take ’em right back to see Martin Luther’s dream / I’d dream that I could tell Martin Luther we made it / But half of my black brothers are still incarcerated.”
J. Cole, “Sideline Story”
“But homie if you change, may you change for the better / Back when Martin King had a thing for Coretta / Wonder if she seen all the dreams he was dreamin’ / Did she have a clue of all the schemes he was schemin.’”
Because after all Martin Luther King Jr. “would’ve been on Dreamville.”
Lupe Fiasco, “B.M.F. (Build Minds Faster)”
“I think I’m Malcolm X, Martin Luther/Add a King, add a Junior/Some Bible verses, couple Sunnahs/an AK-47-that’s a revolution.”