Some only remember George Watsky as the pale kid who raps fast. But to others, Watsky is much more than that. The poet, rapper, producer, social leader and now published author built his career on telling it like it is. He finds emotional common ground and plants himself there to bring things together rather than tearing them apart. On the 1st of July, shortly after another devastating mass shooting and just before the celebration of American independence and democracy, Watsky posted a video of his new single featuring fellow youtube-based songwriter Julia Nunes. The song serves as Watsky’s response to the increasing frequency of mass shootings and a scathing critique of how society tends to react to them. He satirically plays the part of a news anchor reveling in boosted ratings and a politician who manipulates emotions to further his own agenda claiming that “nothing ever could have been done to prevent it.”
The video itself is just a black box until almost the halfway mark when a list of state representative’s contact info starts to appear with the message “Call Your Senator” at the top. Watsky is certainly not the first musician to use his art as a response to this terrible event. Melissa Etheridge wrote “Pulse” as a tribute and a number of LGBT artists have made their voices heard. A large number of notable Youtube creators like Hannah Hart and Tyler Oakley have also posted their own thoughts on the issues surrounding Orlando and events like it. But Watsky’s unique voice and way of addressing these issues is as much about bringing about change as it is about bringing love and acceptance to a hurting community.
Listen to “Stick To Your Guns” below.
