Studio 52 is a community artist space located in the heart of Allston, and is proud to support the Boston music scene and local artist community.
“We are being killed and nobody cares.”
That is a quote from Boston hip-hop veteran Moe Pope back in May, stated during an interview with Vanyaland’s Candace McDuffie. It’s a line we are thinking about this morning as STL GLD release “Hold On,” their second visual for acclaimed sophomore LP Torch Song, which just took home Album of the Year in the 2017 Boston Music Awards.
Moe’s message has not wavered since the spring, and his assertive declarations and demands for “peace” on stage last week at the House of Blues during their captivating BMAs performance ring louder here on “Hold On,” a difficult but all-too-real view of police brutality and its impact on the black community. The video was directed by Christian Hardy, assisted by Brendan Kruist, and features cameos by the extended STL GLD crew. The final scene recreates the horrific July 2016 murder of Philando Castile.
“Rest in Peace to all the innocent victims of police brutality,” the group writes. “We stand to hold ones responsible for these acts of violence accountable.”
We were going to fill the rest of this space with props for the STL GLD live show last week and their BMAs haul (three in total alongside wins in Video of the Year, Unsigned for “Feels Like Home” and The Arcitype as Producer of the Year). But all that seems quite trivial lined up with the message STL GLD are presenting below. If anything, maybe it’ll further get this message out.
“We are being killed and nobody cares.”