Anderson .Paak took to social media on June 18th to share images and artwork for his new track “Lockdown.” Via two Instagram posts, the R&B innovator announced the song’s release for Friday, June 19th. ‘Juneteenth’ is an official Texas State Holiday and the oldest national commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
In the first image a masked .Paak holds a sign with the text “The People Are Rising” scrawled across it. The words reference lyrics from the ‘Lockdown’ chorus, and are a nod to ongoing national protests in response to the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police. Alongside .Paak is the heading “Rest In Power.”
Beneath it are listed the names of African American victims of police violence. Some have become household names, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Philando Castile. In a second image, R&B contemporaries Syd and Jay Rock of The Internet flank .Paak, as does Inglewood R&B legend SiR. Jay Rock also delivers a powerful verse on the song. The trio features in the accompanying video for “Lockdown,” directed by Dave Meyers.
“Lockdown” is another intelligent, smooth, and groove-laden jam from Cheeky Andy that belies its serious subject matter. Over a mid-tempo drumbeat and synthesizer stabs, .Paak enters with the chorus. “You should have been Downtown / The people are rising / We thought it was a lockdown / They opened the fire / Them bullets was flyin’ / Who said it was a lockdown? Goddamn lie.” His trademark mix of rap-scat-singing rides over the track, and he shifts effortlessly between delivery methods.
The visuals for “Lockdown” depict .Paak and crew seated in a diner, fresh from a BLM protest. .Paak treats a projectile wound on his temple, an image Americans have become all too familiar with in recent weeks. “Lockdown,” consequently, plays like 2020’s funkiest protest song.
Anderson .Paak – “Lockdown”
Stream “Lockdown” by Anderson .Paak!
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