You know, people ask me all the time why I started making protest music.

And after thinking about it, I realized I could point to any number of things.

Like I could say it's because I'm about to turn 30 this year, and I've started to pay attention more

because, like everyone else , I would like to start a family one day

or buy a house or raise kids in a world full of love rather than a world full of hate.

Or I could say that if you can sit there and watch what's happening to marginalized communities still today in this country

and it doesn't make you at least stop and think twice, then you don't love this fucking country enough.

Or I could say it's because as I've gotten older, I've realized how much of the American dream we were sold as children in this country was nothing more than a distant fucking memory

or a story that's been told that's slowely fading through generations so the of our society can steal from our fucking pockets to pay for their fucking sins.

But the truth is I started making this music because when I think of all my favorite artists throughout this country's history, all of them at some point or another stood against injustice through their art,

whether it was NWA or Tupac or bands like Raging Against the Machine, or even even like the Highwaymen like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, their music was a reflection of the world that they saw around them.

And they stood tall against injustices instead of advocating for it.

And that's exactly what this mixtape is, acollection of songs that is a reflection of the world and more specifically the country I currently see around me. And I believe it's my responsibility as an artist to tell these stories, because even though I am constantly criticized for hating the red,white, and blue, I still believe in the idea of the United States of America that is free for everybody in it,

and that is worth fighting and speaking out for.