2020 Was The Year Of Protest Music
In 2020, there were many ways to understand the year in music; this week, we're considering five. One of the most striking ways we'll remember the music of 2020 — a year of serious social reckoning, especially during the resurgence of Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May — was by the sounds of protest. Artists across styles and genres expressed rage, resolve, mourning and solidarity. Some continued career-defining legacies of pushing back against state violence; others began using their voice and platform to decry entrenched systems of power. These 20 songs and albums represent some of the best protest music of 2020.
Lil Baby, "The Bigger Picture"
The biggest rapper of the year wrote, recorded and released this protest anthem less than three weeks after the killing of George Floyd and two weeks after protestors took to the streets in Atlanta, and it sounded like something a pop perfectionist could have worked on for months. The reconciliatory verses might have been easy to tune out coming from someone whose star power aligned with corporate
