Key Takeaways
- Artists across generations have referenced Martin Luther King Jr. in lyrics to honor his legacy and connect with themes of justice and resistance.
- The list spans genres and decades, from Stevie Wonder’s tribute to 21 Savage’s raw commentary.
- These lyrical references reflect how Black music continues to engage with civil rights history and cultural memory.
Not many figures are more important to the civil rights movement than Martin Luther King Jr. The late, legendary activist spent his life fighting to end segregation laws that denied Black people freedom and equality during the 1960s, and for that, we should all be grateful. After all, artists have spent decades invoking his name and message in their music.
One of the more notable name-drops is J. Cole saying he “would’ve been on Dreamville,” his record label imprint, on 2014’s “No Role Modelz.” There are also countless rappers, including Public Enemy, Ludacris, and Method Man, who’ve referenced his “I Have a Dream” speech, which he delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.
It’s also not uncommon to hear artists mention Martin alongside other civil rights icons of that era. On JAY-Z’s “The Ruler’s Back,” for example, he references Rosa Parks and Malcolm X in the same verse. Kendrick Lamar, who’s mentioned Martin several times throughout his career, similarly rapped, “Visions of Martin Luther staring at me / Malcolm X put a hex on my future” on the J. Cole-produced “HiiiPoWeR.”
With that said, REVOLT rounded up 15 songs that name-drop Martin Luther King Jr. Once you’re done, check out our list of records that mention Coretta Scott King here!
1. J. Cole’s “No Role Modelz”
The lyrics: “Prophecies that I made way back in the Ville / Fulfilled / Listen, even back when we was broke, my team ill / Martin Luther King woulda been on Dreamville, talk to a n**ga.”
2. Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us”
The lyrics: “Some things in life / They just don't wanna see / But if Martin Luther was livin' / He wouldn't let this be.”
3. Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday”
The lyrics: “And we all know everything / That he stood for time will bring / For in peace, our hearts will sing / Thanks to Martin Luther King.”
4. The Roots’ “Doin’ It Again”
The lyrics: “Yup, the P-5-D is who the repertoire be / Doin' it again just like Poitier and Cosby / I'm like Martin Luther King, you like Rodney / The difference is I give it everything inside me”
5. Lil Wayne’s “Playing with Fire”
The lyrics: “So assassinate me, b**ch / 'Cause I'm doing the same s**t Martin Luther King did / Checking in the same hotel, in the same suite, b**ch / Same balcony, like, ‘Assassinate me, b**ch.’"
6. JAY-Z’s “The Ruler’s Back”
The lyrics: “I'm representin' for the seat where Rosa Parks sat / Where Malcolm X was shot, where Martin Luther was popped / So off we go, let the trumpets blow / And hold on, because the driver of the mission is a pro.”
7. 21 Savage’s “Nothin New”
The lyrics: “Civil rights came so they flood the hood with coke / Breakin' down my people, tryna kill our faith and hope / They killed Martin Luther King and all he did was spoke.”
8. Drake’s “Uptown”
The lyrics: “And shawty wanna party, so don't let yo' girl up out the house / Or there'll be shots on TMZ of me givin' her mouth-to-mouth / Now she's famous and the paparazzi starts to shoot her / I drive two black cars, I named 'em Malcolm X and Martin Luther.”
9. Public Enemy’s “By The Time I Get To Arizona”
The lyrics: “That's the way it is, he gotta get his, talkin' MLK / Gonna find a way / Make the state pay, I'm lookin' for the day / Hard as it seems, this ain't no damn dream.”
10. Run D.M.C’s “Proud To Be Black”
The lyrics: “You can hear it loud and clear like when the school bell rings / Like Martin Luther King, I will do my thing / I'll say it in a rap 'cause I do not sing.”
11. Kendrick Lamar’s “Mortal Man”
The lyric: “How many leaders you said you needed, then left 'em for dead? / Is it Moses? Is it Huey Newton or Detroit Red? / Is it Martin Luther? JFK? Shooter — you assassin / Is it Jackie? Is it Jesse? Oh, I know it's Michael Jackson.”
12. Method Man’s “Dirty Mef”
The lyrics: “Heh, ya'meen, I'm taking one for the team / Like Martin Luther King, taking one for a dream / I'm dope, to many fiends, live by any means / If you don't stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything.”
13. Joyner Lucas’ “Devil’s Work”
The lyrics: “I need You to give us back Martin Luther, take Martin Shkreli / Give us back Malcolm, take R. Kelly / R.I.P. Lil Snupe, give that boy his life back / Take Eric Holder, give us Eric Wright back.”
14. Gucci Mane’s “3 Extra”
The lyrics: “R.I.P to MLK, he was a born leader / Malcolm X, Mandela, them my damn people / It's a revolution, second graders smokin' reefer / And killin' people, God, deliver me from evil.”
15. Ludacris’ “Do Your Time”
The lyrics: “Give my eyes to Stevie Wonder just to see what he's seen / But then I'd take 'em right back to see Martin Luther's dream / I'd dream that I could tell Martin Luther we made it / But half of my Black brothers are still incarcerated.”