Roc Nation’s ‘Reprise’ compilation album features Ty Dolla Sign, Jorja Smith, D Smoke, and more
The new project seeks to benefit multiple social justice efforts across the country.
As a collective effort to benefit multiple social justice initiatives across the country, Roc Nation unleashed a compilation album titled Reprise just last week. The 11-track album boasts a long list of artist appearances such as Jorja Smith, Vic Mensa, Chronixx, Ant Clemons, D Smoke, Buddy, Ambré, Ty Dolla Sign, Rapsody, and AJ Tracey.
Jorja Smith’s single from the project titled “By Any Means” finds the singer reflecting on her experiences as a part of the Black Lives Matter movement, and explores the culture surrounding social justice in the modern day world:
“Too much time tryna figure out why. Too much time to be patient. All this time you be feeding us lies. Ain’t no truth in your statements. Too much pain in these little white lies. You left here. All this time tryna figure out how. We still here. I take pride in the things that we’ve done. Side by side in the revolution.”
Aside from the musical aspects of the album, the compilation features original artwork from Malik Roberts, with creative direction from Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, and Vic Mensa. Charity partners for the project are: the Gathering for Justice, NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice, Equal Justice Initiative Mission, and the Cop Accountability Project.
“We are honored that so many great creatives were able to lend their genuine support, on what turned out to be an amazing project,” said Roc Nation co-presidents Shari Bryant and Omart Grant in a statement about the project. “As black music executives, we feel a project like this is not an option, but our duty.”
In an article from earlier this year, Jorja Smith spoke about how the single came to be:
The inspiration behind “By Any Means” really came from going to the Black Lives Matter protest and leaving thinking, “What can I do to keep this conversation going?” It’s not just a post on social media, it’s life.
Listen to Roc Nation’s ‘Reprise’ compilation album below.