In the wake of the Charleston shooting, Nas has taken to his Instagram account to pen an open letter to America, urging the country that “we need to have conversations around how to improve as a nation.” The rapper also accompanied his letter with an artistic image of an American flag, with dripping red stripes.
Nas points out that we’ve spent “money & resources fighting wars abroad,” but have “completely fell asleep at the wheel” when it comes to protecting and providing for some of our own citizens. “This is my home just like it is anyone else’s,” Nas writes, and goes on to explain:
We are supposed to stand for freedom & equal opportunity. That’s supposed to mean MORE than just words but the actions of late just don’t speak to what we are supposed to stand for. This is BIGGER than BLACK and WHITE. This is about America selling a false dream…
Speaking directly to the imbalance between superficial appreciation for black culture and the lack of political action to help America’s black population, he said:
As a black man, I find it difficult to understand that our biggest export (our American culture) comes from us. The people in the streets… The way the world dresses, talks, what they listen to, what they watch… That all comes from us. How can we be the ones responsible for America’s biggest export & fear for our lives like we shouldn’t belong here.