Minneapolis Singer-Songwriter Dua Saleh Releases Police Brutality Lament

Five days after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, Twin Cities artist and activist Dua Saleh has released “Body Cast,” a mournful missive that chronicles the trauma and violence caused by police brutality.

The song begins with audio from a 2019 incident in which a cop enters a black family’s home in Virginia without any stated reason (“You are violating my right, sweetheart”) before Saleh begins the first verse: “Y’all been dodging camera like they bullets over crime,” they sing.

“This song is about police brutality and injustice,” Saleh said in a statement. “This is a song I made with Psymun last year and intended to save it for a project in the future but I can’t wait that long with what is happening in my city of Minneapolis.”

Saleh released the song as a charity single, with all proceeds going to Black Visions Collective, an organization Saleh works with in Minneapolis.

“This is the same cycle of violence that we have seen before,” Saleh told Rolling Stone this past Thursday, after the third night of protests in the Twin Cities. “The last few days have been full of emotional anguish, triggers, and mobilization efforts. The community is grieving. George Floyd’s family is still mourning. Minneapolis is still mourning.”