The “Crooked Smile” video by J. Cole is receiving a lot of attention this week, as it pays tribute to a 7-year old girl who was fatally shot during a police raid of her home in 2010. The message of the video is simple but powerful: “reconsider your war on drugs”.
Aiyana Stanley-Jones was asleep during the raid when she was killed by a stray bullet; a committee set up in her name released a statement when the video hit the web, saying, “There can be no forgetting what happened to an innocent 7-year old as she slept in her grandmother’s arms. This effort and recognition by J. Cole hopefully will call us all on the table as it pertains to injustice in America, and, in fact, injustice everywhere.”
The video was done with Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of TLC, and the song is off J. Cole’s second album, Born Sinner.
Image: YouTube