“Black Will See Praise (Wounds),”Kennedy Stephens’ tribute to Breonna Taylor that has earned the support of Gayle King, Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Foxx and many more since its arrival on Instagram in September, is now available across all platforms via Def Jam Recordings. On behalf of Kennedy and her brave new song, a contribution will be made to the Social Change Fund, an organization created by Chris Paul, Dwayne Wayde and Carmelo Anthony, to support critical and timely issues impacting the black community.
LISTEN TO “BLACK WILL SEE PRAISE (WOUNDS)” HERE
In September, six months after Louisville police killed 26-year old Breonna Taylor in her apartment bedroom on March 13th, Essence reported that Kennedy had become concerned about “how the continuous loop of Black bodies and death becomes overwhelming,” as she had written on Instagram. “Like most of us out there, it was starting to get to me. So instead of getting discouraged, I decided to create. This is my tribute to Breonna Taylor. I hope you enjoy and Rest in Power to everyone we lost this year.” As reported by tv news program eXTRa, “Stephens wrote the song from Taylor’s point of view,” citing its “haunting lyrics.” Noted hitmaker Kuk Harrell is the vocal producer on the track. Brian Kennedy and Terrace Martin produced the track.
“Kennedy Stephens’ tribute to Breonna Taylor brings chills,” noted People magazine on September 24th, just two days after State Attorney General Cameron’s decision not to charge the police with her death. “[The song] is pulling at the heartstrings of celebrities nationwide as America mourns Taylor’s death and clamor for justice after none of Taylor’s killers were charged for her death on Tuesday.”
The video of Kennedy’s “Black Will See Praise (Wounds)” was first posted on the Instagram page of her manager, Alex Avant, son of “The Black Godfather,” music legend executive Clarence Avant. Many of the manager’s friends quickly shared the clip on their IG timelines. “God bless you for this!!!! We cannot let up… we must continue to fight for justice,” wrote Jamie Foxx. “Kennedy killed it 🔥🔥🔥 everyone watching please share with your friends,” wrote Tiffany Haddish.
Snoop Dogg, Diddy, family attorney Ben Crump, Naomi Campbell, Black Lives Matter founder Opal Tometi, and many others voiced support of Kennedy and “Black Will See Praise (Wounds).” Gayle King brought attention to Kennedy Stephens and her song on October 16th in a CBS News Special broadcast on BET.
“It was important for me to create this tribute to Breonna Taylor because she was at home minding her business; she did nothing wrong,” Kennedy told Heart and Soul magazine. “If we don’t fight, it gives the criminal justice system a reason to opt-out and act like nothing happened. Even though a settlement has been awarded to the family, I know they would much rather have Breonna back.”
ABOUT KENNEDY STEPHENS
Kennedy Stephens, hailing from Riverside, CA, outside Los Angeles, began her career as a model with Ford Models at the early age of six months. Her work included jobs with Fortune 500 companies including The Walt Disney Company, Target, Baby Gap, and Wal-Mart. At age ten, she joined the girl group iD4GIRLS who were invited to perform in front of 200,000 people at the 50th Anniversary Martin Luther King ceremony. The Obama White House later invited them back to Washington to perform for the First Family. In 2015, Kennedy made the decision to depart the group and focus on becoming a solo artist. That decision and new direction allowed Kennedy to pursue her personal goals, which led to last year’s release of her debut single “Check” while attending Cal State Fullerton. “Black Will See Praise (Wounds),” her viral tribute to Louisville’s Breonna Taylor, released on the six month anniversary of her killing, was produced by Kuk Harrell.
FOLLOW KENNEDY STEPHENS:
INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFK49s9hq8G/
