What I got was a song that wants to tear shit up to rebuild it in a better image. What I got was a song about police brutality, undercover racists and their not-so-hidden brethren, and the hypocrisies of being “color-blind” but still not doing a damn thing but filming the demise of a POC. All in all, I got a rally cry over some sick instrumentation (PHZ-Sicks and co-producer Epik The Dawn opted to flip “Eleanor Rigby,” the song flipped in Sisqo’s infamous “Thong Song” and create a cry for help and a cry for change).
PHZ-Sicks said that he “wanted to vent while also fighting against the asinine follow-up questions whenever a person of color brings up this topic [of race and/or police brutality].” This feels a lot like his “I’m Not Racist” moment, without the “Kumbayah” elements Joyner Lucas pushed for. Again, to build greater things, you have to sometimes be willing to rip the craziness up at the seams and start fresh. With tracks like these, I’m definitely looking forward to Good Day, Greater Tomorrow, which is due out soon. Check out “Riot” below and remember to support dope music in all its forms, especially if it’s pushing for change.