Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, has always had a finger on the pulse of the community and played an active role in activism. Bey has proven time and time again to be socially conscious and it’s expected that we hear what he has to say about the current climate of race relations in America.

Yasiin Bey spoke for over 13 minutes on the duty that human beings have to defend their quality of life and references teachings of Malcolm X and Dr. Cornel West. The speech has been placed on soundcloud for the world to hear.

“From a global perspective, where are we?” says Bey in the speech.  “We’re in a critical time. We’re at a watershed moment for humanity. I imagine we’ve been here before and I imagine that we’ve probably been here for longer than we’ve realized. I think many of us are becoming more aware of where we are and the urgency to change this miserable condition on this Earth, as Malcolm X said, is occurring to many of us, reaffirming itself.”

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” Bey continued. “This is an opportunity for necessary change, positive change. And it’s not necessarily convenient of comfortable as I’m sure it is with any period of growth. I read somewhere that in order for the arrow to fly the bow had to be drawn back.’ There’s some pressure involved. And I think we’re all feeling that pressure. Some of us are more aware of it than others. Some of us are trying to drown it out. But we all feel it, one way or another. In indelible ways in these times and days.”