Source: Prince Williams / Getty

Royce Da 5’9 has shifted from the metaphor and simile-slinging rapper that informed much of his career to a full-rounded MC with something to say. Despite his veteran status, Nickel Nine’s pen is sharper than ever, and he’s calling out entertainers on his latest single “Field Negro” for not standing up to social injustice.

As it stands, Royce believes that artists of measurable means should use their platforms to rally against injustice and to categorically stand together as a show of power. However, it appears that he believes that their success shields them from responsibility in some ways.

“As an artist in a larger community of influential entertainers and athletes, I believe that we owe it to our fans to speak up and be vocal about the things that are affecting our communities. We also owe it to all of the people that came before us who have sacrificed their families, careers and lives to do it in a way that promotes unity, not division, among us,” Royce Da 5’9 wrote in a statement for the single.

Listen to “Field Negro” below. To purchase and find the track in other streaming outlets, click here.

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Photo: Getty