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It’s not a secret that the past week has been incredibly tough.

With the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and Delrawn Small and five Dallas police officers, racial tensions are running higher than usual. To help address the helplessness, frustration and anxiety that many of us are feeling, a few music artists recently released powerful new songs.

According to CNN, on Thursday, Jay Z released his emotional single “Spiritual” on his streaming service Tidal. The song addresses the epidemic of Black men being shot and killed by the police.

“Got my hands in the air in despair/don’t shoot/I just wanna do good,” he raps on the track.

In an accompanying statement, the rapper wrote, “I’m saddened and disappointed in this America.” The free song which was written following the death of Mike Brown in 2015 illustrates Carter’s struggle with being a black father in America and trying to reconcile with the reality of police brutality.”

(Stream “Spiritual” here.)

Miguel In Concert - New Orleans, LA

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On Friday, singer Miguel released the song “How Many,” which addresses the similar themes and the emotional toll these unjust deaths have on the Black community. According to the singer’s Instagram page, this song is a work-in-progress and he plans on “updating [it] as it evolves weekly.”

In addition, Swizz Beatz and rapper Scarface joined forces for the song  “Sad News,” which is dedicated to Philando Castile and Alton Sterlings, Blavity noted. 

'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' New York Premiere - Outside Arrivals

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‘Sad News’ addresses not only how common deaths these deaths are, but how our current political climate feeds into racial hatred and inequality. Scarface even makes reference to presidential candidate Donald Trump and the Ku Klux Klan during his verse, Pitchfork noted.

Thank you fellas for using your influence and visibility to speak out. This is exactly what we needed.

RELATED LINKS:

Celebrities React To Week Of Civil Unrest Sparked By Excessive Police Force

Audio Released: Philando Castile Pulled Over Because He Matched Description of Suspect With ‘Wide Set Nose’

When The Blood Of Our People Is Spilled On Our Timelines: Why Violent, Viral Videos Won’t Save Us

5 Things You Need To Know About The Police Shootings In Dallas This Morning

#BlackLivesMatter: Jay Z And Others Release Music About #AltonSterling And #PhilandoCastile  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com