The tragic shooting death of Trayvon Martin has led a number of prominent hip-hop artists to speak out. On last week's "RapFix Live," Nas, Bun B, Killer Mike and Prodigy all expressed their views on the Florida teen's death at the hands of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.
The discussion around Martin, who was wearing a hoodie when he was killed, has also led to protests, televised debates and songs dedicated to young Trayvon. The latest of such singles comes from Diddy signee Los. On Sunday night, the Bad Boy mogul tweeted the link to Los' "Wit My Hoodie On" and urged his followers to retweet it to the world.
The Baltimore MC begins the somber, violin-laced track saying, "I just came here tonight to celebrate the life of Trayvon Martin. Put your hoodie on." Los' track was released eight days after Plies dropped his dedication, "We Are Trayvon," in what seems to be a growing trend.
On "Wit My Hoodie On," Swagger Boy Los goes on to compare the Trayvon tragedy to his own troubles. He begins the first verse recalling the murder of his father 15 years ago and the effect it has had on his life. Toward the second half of the verse, Los brings it back full-circle, spitting, "I'm wrestling for this one shot/ Feeling like Trayvon on the lawn before the gunshot/ I ain't gettin' my up-to-no-good on/ They just wanna kill me, because I put my hood on."
The song's hook is an ode to the hoodie, a fashion staple and now a symbolic representation of Trayvon's gripping death. "I ride (with my hoodie on), I hustle (with my hoodie on)/ Damn right, I represent the struggle (with my hoodie on)."
Veteran news reporter Geraldo Rivera recently said that he believed "the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman." But on Sunday night, Rivera apologized to Martin's parents when they appeared on his Fox News show. Trayvon's dad, Tracy Martin, accepted Rivera's apology and took a moment to clarify why his son was actually wearing the sweatshirt.
"Your apology is accepted," he said. "Let me just add one thing with the wearing of the hoodie. I don't think America knows that, in fact, at the time of the incident when he initially made the call, it was raining. So Trayvon had every right to have on his hood. He was protecting himself from the rain.
"So if being suspicious, walking in the rain with your hoodie on is a crime, then I guess the world is doing something wrong."
What do you think of Los' "Wit My Hoodie On"? Tell us in the comments.