Neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer D’Angelo used the national platform of Saturday Night Live to strengthen the growing voice of the Black Lives Matter movement. During the performance of “The Charade”  off the recently released “Black Messiah” album members of The Vanguard band sported “I Can’t Breathe” and “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts with clench fist raised while D’Angelo wore a hoodie in remembrance of Trayvon Martin. The stage also featured and outlined body representing all the black lives that have been murdered with immunity by police in the United States of America.

“The deaths of Garner and Brown and the subsequent grand jury decisions not to press charges against police officers in both cases fueled D’Angelo to complete and rush-release Black Messiah, and with his outstanding SNL visit, he delivered his message loudly: Black Lives Matter” – Daniel Krepps journalist for Rolling Stone.

The Charade

Crawling through a systematic maze
And it pains to demise
Pain in our eyes
Strain of drownin’, wading into your lies
Degradation so loud that you can’t hear the sound of our cries (doo, doo)
All the dreamers have gone to the side of the road which we will lay on
Inundated by media, virtual mind fucks in streams

[CHORUS]
All we wanted was a chance to talk
‘Stead we only got outlined in chalk
Feet have bled a million miles we’ve walked
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade

Perpetrators beware say a prayer if you dare for the believers
With a faith at the size of a seed enough to be redeemed (doo doo)
Relegated to savages bound by the way of the deceivers
So anchors be sure that you’re sure we ain’t no amateurs

[CHORUS]
All we wanted was a chance to talk
‘Stead we only got outlined in chalk
Feet have bled a million miles we’ve walked
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade

[BRIDGE]
With the veil off our eyes we’ll truly see
And we’ll march on
And it really won’t take too long
And it really won’t take us very long