In this tune, Ice-T starts off with a spoken word intro, discussing why Black Lives Matter instead of All Lives Matter. From there he goes one step further and states that in the eyes of the elite, “No Lives Matter”. Then the rest of the band kicks in, and over an aggressive beat, Ice-T takes a no hold barred approach in tackling racism and police brutality. But he also makes it clear that the issue goes beyond race, it is also a social/economic issue:
“But honestly it ain’t just black
It’s yellow, it’s brown, it’s red
It’s anyone who ain’t got cash
Poor whites that they call trash”
“No Lives Matter” also resonates in light of the December 7th, 2017 court decision to acquit Officer Philip Brailsford for the murder of Daniel Shaver, an unarmed white man. The gruesome body cam footage was unsealed to the public after the trail. Taking a stand (or a knee) against police brutality is taking a stand against racism, but as Ice-T points out it goes beyond that. A system where “no lives matter” needs fixing.
The song appears on Body Count’s 2017 album, Bloodlust.