A 12-year-old black boy, Keedron Bryant, whose song about the fears of being a young African American went viral, has been signed by a major US music label, Warner Records.
Bryant first posted his acapella gospel song titled ‘I Just Wanna Live’ on his Instagram account on May 26, a day after an African American man, George Floyd, was killed by a white policeman in the city of Minneapolis.
The soulful track was written by Bryant’s mother, Johnnetta, and is sung acappella by him.
It includes the lyrics;
I’m a young black man, doing all that I can to stand. Oh, but when I look around, and I see what’s being done to my kind. Every day I’m being hunted as prey. My people don’t want no trouble.
Johnnetta said watching the video of George Floyd, being killed by a police officer;
Really hit my heart just so deeply because I am a mum to a black son. I have a black husband. I have black brothers, uncles, cousins, friends.
The post went viral and has been liked over three million times, drawing praise from former US prescient, Barack Obama, singer Katy Perry, basketball legend LeBron James, singer Janet Jackson, and actress Lupita Nyong’o.
It also caught the attention of Popular music producer and singer Dem Jointz, who reportedly added beats to the acappella song.
Announcing his newly signed deal, Bryant posted on Instagram;
Dem Jointz in an Instagram post on Thursday said he is thankful to share the song alongside the Bryant family and Warner Records.
He also announced that the song will be released today, June 19, which is the Juneteenth holiday marking the end of slavery in the US.
Floyd’s death — one in a long line of black people recently killed by white law enforcement — ignited mass Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality and a national reckoning on racism in America, both in the past and today.
Read Also: Crowds Protest Outside White House Against George Floyd’s Killing
The US music giant said proceeds from the song will be donated to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Watch video of Bryant’s song below;
