The last month has been riddled with tragedy as mass shootings almost every week have led to increased conversations regarding gun laws, racism, and safety in the United States. Last month, a gunman opened fire in a Buffalo, NY grocery store parking lot, targeted, and killed 10 Black people. On Monday, June 6, Buffalo native, Benny the Butcher, dropped a remix of Kendrick Lamar’s “We Cry Together,” entitled “Welcome To The States.”
In the black and white music video, Benny addresses the Buffalo massacre with clips of people shopping at grocery stores, the American flag, KKK members, and police brutality before ending with an audio clip of Joe Biden’s address following the massacre.
“Through June 1st there have been at least 233 mass shooting incidents in 2022 in the United States,” the opening reads. “This means that the U.S. has recorded more mass shootings than there have been days in 2022, so far…”
“One of those shootings occurred in Buffalo, New York on May 14th, at a Top’s Friendly Market Store in Buffalo’s Eastside neighborhood. Ten people were killed that day. All 10 were African American.”
In the track, Benny raps “Mass shooting in my city, eight minutes from where my block at. Saw innocent people shot at a supermarket I shop at,” he raps, before ending the song with an audio clip from President Joe Biden’s speech addressing the shooting.”
Along with the video, Benny announced that he is helping raise money for the Buffalo Survivors Fund. Benny teamed up with designers Kat & Nolan Cartwright for a limited-run t-shirt that honors the ten victims. You can purchase the t-shirt now via the Black Soprano Family website for $40. All proceeds will go directly to the fund.
