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“I think there is a disregard in underserved areas of society when it comes to interaction with law enforcement,” Tip said. “I think there is a resentment, an undeniable fear that I believe law enforcement have for young minorities. And it is reflected in their actions.”

He pointed to this disconnect between law enforcement and citizens to protect as one means of inspiration for some of hip-hop’s more aggressive tunes.

“Of course, that leads to angry lyrics because our music historically has been a reflection of the circumstances, so if you don’t like our lyrics you must then change the circumstances that inspire them.”

When Don suggested that the supposedly confrontational lyrics may be contributing to the problem, T.I. told him that it serves as an outlet for the Black community’s hurt at the seemingly endless string of deaths at the hands of police. He explained, “[We’re] calling for the death of our people to end.”

Most recently, the Black community has come together to protest the death of Freddie Gray. When Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake spoke on the circumstances surrounding his death, some believed that she should have been more vehement in her demand for answers about what really happened.

One extremely frustrated resident told CNN, “It sounds like the mayor is reading from a script.”

T.I. Believes Police Brutality Is Driven By Officers’ Fear Of Young Black People  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com