Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and the Power of Black Protest Music

Beyoncé. Kendrick Lamar. J Cole. Janelle Monae. 

Pop artists are increasingly speaking out against police violence these days, while amplifying the demands of Black Lives Matter in the process. This is in keeping with the spirit of the 1960s and 1970s, when James Brown, Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye turned issues of segregation and poverty into artistic masterpieces like "What's Goin On?"

"Music may be beautiful but it haunts you because you don’t want there to exist in the world the conditions that produce this sort of music," said Mychal Denzel Smith, author of the new book 'Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching.' "So what do we do about it?"

We've created a Spotify playlist of some of our favorite protest songs. Have a suggestion? Let us know in the comments.