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NaviydUsher emotionally responds to these unprecedented times on his new song, “I Cry.”
After protesting in Los Angeles earlier this month and penning an emotional Washington Post op-ed, the father of two explains the song was intended to teach his sons about the vulnerability and compassion “intended for this time.”
“This song was inspired by wanting to teach my sons that it is ok for a man to feel emotions deeply and to cry,” he wrote on Instagram. “Like many men, I was raised to believe that we have to be tough and not show our vulnerability, which I don’t want to teach them.”
The compassionate track speaks directly to feelings of “hopelessness” that Usher and many others are experiencing “watching the ongoing slaughter of Black men and women, the protests, and the events that unfolded.”
“Like many, I grew increasingly frustrated by how slow things have been to change,” Usher wrote. “I became very depressed thinking about all the sons who have lost their fathers to police brutality, social injustice and violence; the daughters and mothers too.”
Usher will perform “I Cry” live tomorrow at Global Citizen’s TV special Global Goal: Unite for Our Future – The Concert at 2 p.m. ET on YouTube and 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Proceeds from the song and his performance will support Black-owned small businesses and Black-led community organizations dealing with the economic fallout from COVID-19.
By Rachel George
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